Young people design new play structure in Mary Baily

A new structure incorporating wooden posts and nets for relaxation and play is taking shape in the Mary Baily Playing Field.

The structure has been designed and built by a group of local young people, recruited as part of a co-design project with Woodland Tribe, Super Roots and Neighbourhood Toolbox, funded by Frome Town Council.

The project came about following research by the town council which indicated a lack of suitable outdoor spaces for teenagers in Frome.

The young people started work in January this year and took part in workshops to learn about the design and build process, as well as site visits to Longleat Forest, Valley Sawmills and Whatley Quarry to research locally sourced materials for their project.

They developed a brief, considering the different users of the space, created concept models of their ideas and then brought everything together in a final design. The young people wanted to create a structure that felt like their own – a place to chat, play and spend time together.

A second phase of the project is planned for autumn, when the team will work with Frome Town Council’s Tree Officer Helen Viner to plant trees around the new structure.

Milo, 13, said, “I really liked the design process because everyone really liked my design, which made me very happy. There were loads of different ideas but it all boiled down to a similar thing – everyone liked nets.”

Laser, 12, said, “Nets are fun; you can relax in them and play in them. I foresee that there’ll be tonnes of kids playing on it, pretty much every day, all the time.”

Cllr Mark Dorrington said, “The young people involved in this project have worked brilliantly as a team and created something lasting and important in the Mary Baily field. We’re really proud of what they’ve achieved and we hope to repeat this process again in the future, with our young people taking an active role in creating the spaces they relax and socialise in together.”