Acton Road play area in Bramford reopens after £250k revamp

The renovation of Bramford's play area on Acton Road has been completed and is now open to the public.

The play area, complete with a variety of equipment, cost £245,000 to install, with the design based on ideas from children at Bramford Primary School.

An official opening ceremony will be held this weekend. (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The new play area (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The play area cost £245,000 (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Children in 1968 marching for a playing field (Image: Hilary Penning)

This renovation marks a big step in the play area's history as 50 years ago children walked from Bramford to Needham Market to demand a play area for children.

The Bramford Playing Field Association is in charge of the area, with Bob Wakeling and Marilyn Smith dedicating over 35 years each of voluntary service to the area, with cleaning up and repairs.

Hilary Penning, a committee member, said: "Children today are different to 50 years ago.

Millie aged 3 was the first to play on the new park (Image: Charlotte Bond)

A look at the new play area (Image: Charlotte Bond)

"Children play differently and so they thought through each piece of equipment very carefully.

"We could have opted for cheaper equipment, but the kids wanted to create a legacy and it was important to them that equipment was made entirely from recycled materials.

"We've also got a historical rocking horse that's been there for over 50 years and a slide, because the children wanted a subtle nod to the children that fought 50 years ago for the area."

The rocking horse which is over 50 years old (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Millie was the first to have a play in the playground (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The play area is filled with equipment which is accessible for disabled people, as well as a braille wall and a non-verbal board.

A year 5 student at the school, Amaya Jerome, also created a logo for the playground which will appear on the rocking horse, as well as all the new signage for the play area.

The signing board for deaf and non-verbal children (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The Brail board (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Many Suffolk companies have sponsored the play area, including Suffolk Waterpark and Whip Street Motors.

An official opening will be held on Sunday, November 5 at 1pm, featuring a bouncy castle, Good Vibes Coffee Van, Royal Whippy Ice Cream Van, and face painting.

A mini trampoline in the play area (Image: Charlotte Bond)

The accessible roundabout (Image: Charlotte Bond)