Children’s voices integral to design of new inclusive playground in Bermagui

Children from Bermagui Preschool were integral in the design of the recently opened all-inclusive playground in the New South Wales coastal town of Bermagui, with preschool Director Narelle Myers describing the playground as “a beautiful model for community collaboration.”

 

“The fact council listened to the voices of the children and acted on their ideas was so brilliant and so powerful as well,”  she told publication About Regional. 

 

Bega Valley Shire Council asked the children to vote on their favourite pieces of equipment, with the flying fox being very popular. 

 

Children also asked for lots of natural elements, so they could find beetles and see butterflies. 

 

When the children saw the finished product “you could not wipe the smiles off their faces” Ms Myers said. 

 

Member for Bega Andrew Constance also welcomed the playground, which was funded with $380,000 from the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund along with a contribution from Bega Valley Shire Council.

 

“This playground will provide our local and visiting children and families with a functional, safe and imaginative play space,” he said.

 

The playground has been designed to the NSW Government’s ‘Everyone Can Play’ guidelines, and features play items that will enable all children to play together in an environment focused on inclusiveness, such as a dual cableway with inclusive seat, an inclusive carousel, trampoline, rope tower with slide, dual bay swings with basket swing, and nature-based play items such as a hollow log, balance logs and log steppers.

 

To read the original coverage of this story, please see here.