The Hicks Lodge play area is located opposite the café and bike hire building, overlooking the lake and has been a popular spot for visitors since it was first installed well over 10 years ago. A former coal mining site, the area was then transformed through a partnership between the National Forest and Forestry England.
As well as tree planting as part of the re-foresting drive, the visitor centre, trail network and play area were developed to create the National Forest cycle centre which has been a busy destination for local communities ever since.
Jo Pitt, Hicks Lodge Forest Centre Manager for Forestry England said: “It is an exciting time for Forestry England Hicks Lodge. These additions to our main play area are already getting lots of use from local families. It is great to see children of all different abilities and with various different access needs able to play together. And it won’t be long before our new ‘Pedal and Play’ cycling facility is ready to open on the other side of the forest.”
Sarah Walker, Programme Manager for Forestry England said: “We’ve been working hard to get these improvements and additions ready to use and we are thrilled to announce that the new and improved play area is now open to visitors. We did quite a bit of research in the early stages, so a big thank you to everyone who has shared their thoughts and experiences to inform the development of designs and to those involved in making it all come together on the ground.”
The play area has been developed alongside ESP Play Parks to be more inclusive to help more people to be able to access the features and teach children to value inclusivity and equality at a young age.
All features are made from sustainably-sourced materials including timber, and now includes a toddler play area, weatherproof inclusive sensory pathway, sensory play hut, inclusive hive seating, sensory nature panels, inclusive swing seat and a new bespoke forest tangled climbing structure.
More information to plan a visit to the site is available on the Hicks Lodge website
