A BIG thumbs-up has been given by councillors as Wellington Town Council looks to ensure that every child has access to play opportunities.

A report went before the council’s environment committee where a vision was set out to enable all children and young people – regardless of age, ability background or circumstance – to have equal access to safe, stimulating and inclusive opportunities within its play areas, with the Wellington Recreation Ground serving as the primary location.

The council’s open spaces manager Darren Hill said that, in future, when the authority comes to putting in new equipment at play areas he would be looking to make it more inclusive so that children of all abilities - including those in wheelchairs - could use the facilities.

A report compiled by Mr Hill said that they would be looking to provide step-free access, sensory friendly pathways and play equipment that could be used by all children.

They would be looking to create a balanced range of play experiences, including both structured equipment and natural play elements such as trees and sad, plus also provided shaded seating areas, toilet facilities where possible and clear signage.

In his report, Mr Hill said: “Play is fundamental to a child’s development and well-being and playgrounds play a vital role in supporting this,”

“Across the UK many children live with disabilities making inclusive play provision particularly important.

“The town council will work to improve access and increase the availability of inclusive play equipment within the Recreation Ground as a priority.

“Improvements to other play areas will follow and information about accessible play facilities will also be published on the council’s website.”

Cllr Mark Lithgow said: “I think this is a classic example of why Wellington Town Council has taken on some of the town’s amenities.

“We should just get on with this and do it with the engagement of the local community. I think this absolutely fantastic.”

Cllr Mike McGuffie said: “We want to be known for best practice on this and it will be great for the whole community and make us an inclusive town.”

Cllr Gareth Williams said: “This is exactly the sort of thing we should be doing. It is reactive and proactive and this is a really good piece of work.”

Mr Hill said they would conduct audits of existing play spaces to assess equipment, accessibility and safety and also engage with the community through surveys and social media to learn more from the users in order to identify barriers to access and understand local aspirations.

The council will be looking for external grant funding to increase the availability of accessible play equipment, while it is expected that a play advisory group including children and parents will be set-up.

Earlier in the meeting a mother, who has a daughter who uses a wheelchair, spoke of the need for more inclusive play equipment in Wellington.

It was said that an accessible swing which had recently been repaired, had since very sadly been vandalised.