Pupils’ new designer revamped play area

Littleham children have spoken and chosen what improvements should be made to the West Down Lane play area.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) and Littleham Church of England Primary School have been working closely together to make �22,000 worth of improvements to the area this summer.

Now the children of Littleham have decided which one of three designs they want to be put in.

Of the 119 who voted, 84 per cent chose the winning design at the Littleham Community Festival held by EDDC last month.

The improvements include new climbing frames, a junior assault course, a tree frog-shaped ‘springer’, a puppy-shaped ‘single’ springers, a seated ‘springy’ merry-go-round for two and a balancing ‘trail’ unit.

EDDC’s community engagement and funding officer Jamie Buckley introduced the project to pupils in years five and six, who then did their own research throughout their whole school to find out how the children who use the play area would improve it.

A district council spokesman said: “They measured the play area and planned where items could go, looked at the budget available and tried to make sure they didn’t overspend. They carried out questionnaires with other pupils and their parents.

“They then gave a very professional presentation to EDDC officers and councillors on what they had found out.

“They discovered that climbing, monkey bars, spinning, and a rocker were the most popular activities.

“The children’s findings were put into a document that was sent off to three play companies, who sent back their suggested designs for discussion at the event on May 26.”

The cash has been contributed by developers, a condition of planning approval for a number of developments in the area been given.