Plan for Play Newsletter – June 2026

Hello, and welcome to the June issue of our Plan for Play newsletter.

I hope everyone reading this update managed to stay cool and hydrated throughout the incredible heat we experienced last week – the two hottest days in the BCP area since records began in 1957.

It feels like every month we start this newsletter by saying ‘it’s been a really busy few weeks for the team’ – but this month, and the next few, are set to be even busier.

We’re making real progress on play improvements across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and we’ve got some major upgrades on their way to some of our most popular sites.

Designs shaped by our communities

Earlier this month we announced incredible final designs for upcoming refurbishments at five key sites.

When we went out to consultation last year we spoke to you – everyone receiving this email, and hundreds more children, young people, parents, grandparents – and made a commitment that your ideas would be at the heart of our future plans.

I hope, now that we’ve published the designs for Noyce Gardens, Bourne Valley, Muscliff, Mallard Road and King’s Park, you can see that we are doing just that.

Work will soon get underway at these sites and we’ll continue to share updates across this website, our social pages, and newsletter, every step of the way

Improvements happening across BCP

We know how much play areas matter to our residents – that’s precisely why we’re investing £4.6million into making sure everyone has access to high quality, accessible and inclusive play spaces.

We’re working alongside partners, and local disability charities, to make our refurbished play areas as accessible as possible: because every child should be able to play with confidence and a sense of adventure.

But it’s not just full-scale refurbishments that the team is carrying out – we’ll be improving around 120 play areas in total and that work continues alongside the major upgrades.

For too long now the steps at Mudeford Wood have been out of use – I know how frustrating that has been for residents – and the team is out fixing them as I write this. This month we’ve been on-site delivering improvements at Fenners Field, Moordown Rec, Ashley Cross, and Beaufort Park and in the coming weeks and months we’ll be visiting many more.

Even more upgrades on the way

We’ve also been working really closely with the Churchill Gardens Community Association over the last month and have got some exciting designs in the pipeline – which we’ll be announcing shortly!

And you might well have seen that Treasure Island, in Canford Cliffs, has re-opened after a £130,000 renovation – bringing the iconic pirate ship into the 21st century and installing a host of new equipment in themed zones surrounding the ship. The refurb was made possible thanks to a successful application, by ward councillors, for CIL funding – as well as a generous contribution from the Canford Cliffs Land Society.

It looks fantastic and families are already telling us it’s a significant improvement on the previous offering.

I’ve got a feeling next month’s newsletter is going to be even more packed with updates than this one but, don’t forget, to get notified of new equipment and upgrades as and when they take place, make sure you’re following BCP Council and BCP Parks and Open Spaces on our socials where we share frequent updates.

I can’t wait to share with you the next lot of improvements – and thank you for getting involved and inspiring our designs.