Rotherham Salvation Army in Kimberworth is inviting the community to make use of the outside area this summer. The enclosed space has a wooden boat structure with climbing wall, slide, balance beam, animal murals and plenty of outdoor toys, aimed at children of pre-school age.
It is free to use and can be accessed from a gate on High Street.
Captain Tim Swansbury, who leads Rotherham Salvation Army with his wife Captain Chris, said: “Having small children ourselves we realised there’s a lack of facilities for them at this end of town and we had this patch of ground here that we weren’t doing much with, so we thought it would be lovely to have something we can use as a church but also make available to the community.
“It’s a Noah’s Ark themed playground with a slide, climbing frame, balance beam and animal cut outs, then we have the wave motion swing and blue spongy child safe flooring which gives the effect of being on the sea. There’s plenty of outdoor toys and a sandpit. It’s a great space encouraging lots of diverse types of activities especially for pre-school age children.
“Anyone can come, there’s no charge and you don’t need to be coming to a group at The Salvation Army to access it. It is well used by our Wednesday playgroup and by beavers and cubs, so we want to make sure other children get to enjoy it.
“We are on the edge of Rotherham here and there’s an issue with some people feeling a bit isolated so we thought providing this community space would be beneficial, not only for the children but for adults. We have plenty of seating for them to sit and talk, knowing their kids are having fun in a safe space. We have seen how in our Wednesday playgroup people have met and friendships have blossomed, so I think that could happen here as well.”
The Salvation Army worked with local company Precision Timber who built and helped design the wooden Noah’s Ark structure.
Tim continued: “We had a really positive experience working with them. They were really hands on helping us with the design and building it for us. We felt it was important to invest in our community by using a local company who really stood out.”
Rotherham Salvation Army hosts a coffee morning on Tuesdays between 9.30am and 10.30am followed by a bible discussion group and light lunch. On Wednesday the Noah’s Ark play group for pre-schoolers runs between 9am and 11am with play, snacks, story time and songs. All are welcome to join them on Sundays at 10.30am for worship, children’s activities and refreshments.
The play area is open Monday to Friday between 9am to 3pm during term time. For opening times at the weekend and during school holidays please check their Facebook page. The Salvation Army has a car park and there is free on-street parking close by.
For more information on Rotherham Salvation Army visit https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/rotherham