Groundworks & Surfacing Solutions
1st March 2021
At Fresh Air Fitness, we design, manufacture, deliver and install outdoor gyms which are specifically designed for primary school age children and have equipment installed at over 1,000 schools.
The process begins with a consultation and we discuss which equipment will best suit your needs, where to locate that equipment and how we will go about preparing that space. Whatever space you have and if required, the Fresh Air Fitness teams will carry out all necessary clearance and lay the appropriate groundworks and surfacing solutions to ensure you have a fantastic end product.
If you have an area that needs clearing, our team will visit the site and remove all debris, any landscaping which has overgrown and even old equipment. Ab Kettleby Primary School outdoor gym is a great example of how an unsafe trim trail was removed which covered a large area of their playing field and replaced it with an outdoor gym in one pre-defined fitness area. The result was a much more suitable area for a teacher to carry out a PE lesson and for pupils to enjoy fitness and fun together during breaktimes.
Your new gym can be installed into an array of different existing surfacing types including, grass, tarmac, wet pour, rubber mulch, artificial grass and concrete.
Grass mats are one of our most popular surfacing solutions as they blend effortlessly into their natural surroundings. Black rubber mesh mats are embedded into the ground and the grass grows through them. They protect from falls and prevent bald spots forming in the grass. You can even run a lawn mower over them.
Mulch is another popular surfacing option for its natural appearance, blending in with most environments. It is low maintenance, has good drainage properties and conforms to British and European safety regulations.
When laying a new surfacing layer like mulch, wet pour and artificial grass, we would recommend the laying of a compacted stone layer. This provides a solid layer for the surfacing to be laid on which will enhance the life of the surfacing, which will be subject to high footfall due to the popularity of the equipment. The stone layer will also improve drainage. A fine example of this can be found at Wilson Stuart UCB partnership Trust's Hive College. This transformation project included the removal of all debris, full groundworks before laying mulch surfacing. This previously unusable area is now a valuable fitness space, used by the school all year round.
Our inhouse teams often speak with schools who have problems with areas that are very wet or waterlog frequently such as Penistone St John Primary School, who had an area which was unusable for most of the year due to the ground being too waterlogged.
The Fresh Air Fitness team completely transformed the area with a total dig out, relevelling, and installation of a strong stone sub-base which eliminated the water pooling. Then they finished the area with a rubber mulch safety surface and installed a lovely 12-user children’s outdoor gym which can be enjoyed all year round.
Want to find out more about how we offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ solution to cover all your needs? See some of our favourite finished projects on our Success Stories pages, call one of the team on 01483 608860 or complete our contact form with a few details and one of the team will be in touch.
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