www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk OPPOSITE FAR LEFT: Airquee’s themed ‘pool runs’
are hugely popular. They come in a wide variety of themes from pirates to Olympians
LEFT & RIGHT: Loyal Grove Leisure have been
continuing to developing children’s play features suitable for municipal swimming pools with
toddler slides, interactive play features, water cannons, tipping cones, water jets and sprays
WaterFun AUG 2010 SPN
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The UK market has a number of major players.
Loyal Grove Leisure LLP are flume and water slide specialists based in the United Kingdom but with a worldwide cliental. Says Matt Clark, Technical Sales Manager: “We
can meet complete water slide requirements from design and build of new facilities to modifications or refurbishment of existing installations. “All new water slide installations are designed
in accordance with current standards (BS.EN.1069 part 1) and manufactured and installed to the appropriate British Standards. In addition we are continuing to develop and
expand a varied range of children’s play features suitable for municipal swimming pool environments and wet leisure areas. “Within our standard range of play features we
have an assortment of toddler slides, interactive play features, water cannons, tipping cones, water jets and sprays to name a few. We also work closely with clients to design and manufacture bespoke features using the latest 2D/3D CAD and visualisation software in the process. Hippo Leisure and Aqua Drolics who supply
some of the Certikin range are the biggest players. Claire Mollet from Hippo Leisure urges more
pool operators to ‘Buy British’. While a large proportion of the pool toys available in the UK come from Van Egdom and Aqua Drolics in Holland, Hippo proudly boasts of its UK pedigree. “The market for these pool products in the UK
isn’t huge but it’s a busy lively market and one with great potential.” The start of 2010 has seen the Hippo Leisure
team all over the country creating amazing, bespoke interactive water play areas. Hippo’s first stop was in Maidstone. The Mote Park
leisure centre is now home to a new winter wonderland themed toddler pool. A perfect place to chill out over the summer holidays! Hippo has
transformed the old flume pool into a multitude of interactive play features. A themed igloo, complete with mast and four interactive arms, is the arctic centrepiece providing an exciting play environment while also offering educational value. From water jets and squirting penguins to spinning water wheels and interactive water channels, this stimulating new play area caters for all ages and abilities. It combines anticipatory play with interactivity and inclusion making it a unique feature for the centre. To extend the fun, interactive tipping channels challenge youngsters to control the flow of water from over hanging tipping buckets and water wheels into the lagoon pool below. Children have to work out how to balance the
channels and control them in order to direct the water flow. The icy play doesn’t end there… the main pool
boasts an interactive mast featuring a large tipping bucket, killer whale shower, spray rail and pipefalls. This feature caters for the slightly older age groups and is a great tool to increase water confidence. Hippo teamed up with Coral Reef to create a
splash zone play area to rival any waterpark! A brightly themed waterball creates the water source to fuel 10 further items. From low level to high level features the water comes alive through a maze of waterwheels, tipping buckets and water jets. Water gushes through a 3m span pipe, filling small tipping buckets on the way before reaching the interactive waterball. Children then take control using the handwheels and fill & spill buckets to move the water back to the pool. More waterwheels and water jets are activated as the water travels through another span pipe to feed a large tipping bucket at the top of an interactive mast. Finally three interactive water channels create a water cascade where the children can control the flow back to the pool using the channel gates and paddles. Travelling to Market Harborough, the
“Budgets may be tight but there is a real need now to hype up and market swimming pools as places of fun and not just of exercise”
Serco run Leisure Centre let Hippo loose on the toddler pool introducing a new Octopus themed slide together with a fish water squirt and interactive water channel combination and a 2 arm interactive mast and water archway as part of their first phase of planned refurbishment works. The next installation at Stoke was for the
second phase of play equipment at Dimensions Leisure Centre. Transforming their interactive mast (installed 12 months earlier) and extending this to include a new waterball. Additional features included a makeover of the
cascade pool with themed sensory stepping stones and a range of highly interactive panels that provide a tactile, sensory and educational play environment. Unlike the outdoor play industry and its links
with Association of Play Industries, most of the swimming pool specialist market is not subject to independent inspection or bound by compulsory manufacturing standards. Guidelines for best practice are available from the HSE, ISRM, ILAM, and PWTAG supplying recommendations for pool operators and highlighting the hazards and perils surrounding fixed and free floating products. Several safety solutions to existing water features are available such as non-slip flooring, impact
This Serco run Leisure Centre let Hippo
loose on the toddler pool as part of their first phase of planned refurbishment works
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