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Rantzen And The Wooden Climbing Equipment Revolution

The 1980s seems to back with a vengeance. I've seen people wearing leggings with leg warmers, spangled belts coordinate with clutch bags and the music in the charts seems to be the same, Kylie Minogue and Maddonna are still hitting it hard. Transformers was back in the cinema and Indiana Jones made a comeback with the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Before you know it we'll be bringing back pet rocks and neon socks. There has also been a revival in the TV programmes that are suspiciously reminiscent of the 1980s. Take Noel's HQ for instance, a new instalment from Sky that takes on the format of the much adored That's Life.

The programme, hosted by Esther Rantzen, functioned as the moral conscious of British society. It raised our awareness of con artists, dodgy contractors, council red tape and unforgettably the injuries sustained by children in unsafe playgrounds across the country. This led to a massive campaign as supported by the That's Life team to rip up the concrete paved playgrounds and metal climbing frames and replace them with ornamental bark flooring and wooden climbing equipment. Not only did this save the faces of many innocent children, it changed the face of our parks for the better, and for good.

If you take a walk through any community play area, school playground or even the gardens of pubs, hotels, restaurants and holiday parks, you will notice that a change has taken place aesthetically and atmospherically. Long gone are rusted metal climbing frames with peeling paint; there is no sign of swing sets with metal chains to trap small fingers, and there are certainly no more round-a-bouts with rusted metal coming loose, ready to slash the ankles of an unsuspecting toddler. In fact, the dilapidated and deserted post-apocalyptic scene that was the standard feature of so many of these outdated playgrounds has been replaced with something much more welcoming. And I believe that that change has come about due to the development of materials used to construct playground equipment.

The play areas today consist of wooden climbing equipment, rope for scramble nets and recycled rubber for swings. This switch to more organic materials has bought with it play areas that have life and vitality, and let's not forget, playgrounds that are altogether safer. Manufacturers are rejecting the metal and using timber instead. This not only looks more appealing, but it has greater longevity too, and as time does go by, rather than dragging a playground into an aesthetic state of disrepair, wooden climbing equipment actually looks better.

The harmonious nature of natural materials such as wood, rubber and rope blend in with the surroundings, and even brightly coloured play equipment seems to fit in with park environment. This improvement in appeal reflects in the number of visitors to new style parks, the increase in which makes the park a more sociable place, and a safer place for families and children to be. Ultimately, the changes instigated by the moral upheaval of a nations conscience back in the 80s has not only made children physically safer thanks to an improvement in materials, but psychologically safer too. The simple step of introducing wooden climbing equipment has boosted the morale of children across the country and improved the social structure of communities nationwide. Let's hope that Noel Edmunds can do something equally as just in his new prime time show.

Seed Newsvine

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