Accessible Play build at the Adventure Cove

Accessible Play is an important part of our business. The principle of play for all runs right through our core and we aim to ensure that everyone has access to fun, play and interaction with friends and family. We recently shared our plans for the Boundless Play area at Windreach in Bermuda, well this is one we've just completed for Culzean Castle.

The team have been back at Culzean Castle with the National Trust for Scotland. The aim was to add more accessible play so whole families could play together, whatever their disabilities. Most of it is quite simple but it adds a beautiful layer of tactile interaction and allows sibling interaction throughout the site.

So, rather than describe it, it's probably easier to just show you the pictures of the completed Culzean Castle Adventure Play, which you can see below or in full here.

Wheelchair accessible sand table from above showing the pulleys to bring sand to the top

The same play zone from a sandpits eye view

Lower view of the accessible sandtable

The play isn't all about sand however and there is a lovely little harmonic den built under one of the towers

The Harmonic Den underneath the viaduct is filled with musical instruments

Accessible Play means better play for everyone

We have found that accessible play, improves the play value for everyone. Barriers are broken down and children just play together with all of them having more fun.

So the next stage of play added are the speaking tubes. These are amazingly simple in that they take the principle of talking through two cans and some string into rather more sturdy and reliable tubes that allow voice to travel right across a site with almost no loss of volume.

The speaking tube allows you to speak to someone at the top of the tower

Even from the top, you can talk down to the ground from the top

Speaking tube from the top of the tower to the other side of the playground with both in view

View of the speaking tube on the top of the ramparts

Accessible Play for All

Accessible play is a principle that we truly believe in as a team. It's baked into our core values that we should aim to make play great fun for everyone, whatever their impairment.

The difference between being able to simply access a play area and to actually enjoy their time there may seem like a small one on paper, but it's a huge difference in the real world.

By choosing the right adaptations, or better still, designing them in in the first place means enhanced engagement for all as the best accessible equipment is just as much fun for everyone, so the barriers to playing together are removed.

We're aiming to normalise accessible play. For us, it shouldn't be an added afterthought, it should be a methodology, designed in from the outset.

With the projects we have planned, you'll see more and more being fully accessible.

This will make us very proud indeed.