The new upgraded Luxfords play area reopened on Saturday 19 September 2020, which will be a great central attraction within the town.
The new design for the play area was chosen following a public consultation in February 2020 and has a castle theme. The site is slightly wider and shorter which will make it easier for children to be supervised while using the new equipment.
As part of the design for the new play area it was important to make it accessible. Consequently, included in the new play area is an accessible (wheelchair) ramp into the main ‘Uckfield Castle’, a sensory pathway with more musical equipment and an extra flat seat swing and additional inclusive seating.
Also at the official opening was Dylan Trigwell, who won the local schools’ poster competition to design a fantasy play area. As part of his prize Dylan had his poster ‘brought to life’ by a professional graphic illustrator. Dylan was also first to be able to try out some of the equipment.
The equipment in Luxfords play area had been cleaned and sprayed ready for the reopening and a full ROSPA safety check had been carried out.
At this time of Covid 19, the safety of play area users is paramount and all play areas in Uckfield are sanitised every month. The equipment in Luxford play area had been cleaned and sprayed ready for the reopening and a full ROSPA safety check had been carried out.
The sanitiser – Zoono – is a safe, non-hazardous, water-based product that has a toxicity rating similar to Vitamin C. It is colourless and odourless and it doesn’t create any fumes. When applied it is a very dry mist that rapidly evaporates and dries on surfaces. The active ingredient in Zoono (Benzalkonium Chloride) bonds to surfaces and this process takes between 10 and 15 minutes and is effective for over 30 days.
Prior to spraying, test swabs across Uckfield play areas recorded between 900-1500 microbes and after spraying these had dropped to between 13-50.