West Bay Play Area officially opened, for ages 0 – 99! A unique play ground has been designed by young people in the area, to reflect its setting on the Jurassic Coast and the area’s history of rope making. It has been created from the ideas of young people from the Summentor Mentoring Project including: Nathan Baxter, Debbie Bird, Abbey Briggs, Gareth Jones, Michael Lewis, Callum O’Donoghue, Luke Wayland, Eddie Williams and many other young people involved in the project.
Their message is: “This is the first teenage playground in the area. We helped to design and create it and we raised some money for it. We have done something positive to show that teenagers are not all bad! However, this play area is not just for us and we hope that other ages will want to use it, young and old. That’s ok and please enjoy the play area. It is here because of us!”
Culmination of nearly four years work 
Dignitaries from across Dorset attended the official opening of the new West Bay adventure place. The project is a result of nearly four years of work by members and staff of Bridport Youth Centre working in conjunction with the town council.
The steering group to realize the ground was made up of the young people named on the plate at the main entrance, Arthur Woodgate, Cllr Maggie Ray and Daryl Chambers, the Bridport Town Council surveyor.
Lots of playground suppliers were asked but none could offer what the kids wanted so we decided to start from scratch and this is what we wanted to achieve:
- A play area designed by children for children
- A play area targeted at older children but for use by all
- A play area that children felt they belonged in
- A play area safe for all
- A play area that represented the area of outstanding natural beauty
- A play area that reflected Bridports rope making and shipbuilding heritage
- A play area that reflected the setting on Dorset’s Jurassic Coastline
- A play area built by a local company
- A play area built in natural materials sourced locally
- A play area built by local craftsmen
- A play area for Bridport to show the rest of Dorset and the country what can be achieved by children if engaged and listened to.
Finally the local netmaking company Huck Nets (UK) Ltd . from Gore Cross Business Park could supply what the young people were dreaming of.
The funding for the project came from the Bridport Town Council, Dorset County Council (Play builder), West Dorset District Council, Youth Capital Fund, Bridport Charter Fair and the Bridport Young People’s Action Trust.
The Play Area was designed over three years ago by young people who were involved in the first Summentor Mentoring Programme, a partnership with the Sir John Colfox School.
Feeling Good
Arthur Woodgate, creator of the Summentor Project, and founder and Chair of local charity BYPAT, which has continued to work with the young people towards achieving the Play Area, stated “After three years work, everyone’s feeling very, very good about having eventually got there, thanks to a Town Council that’s always ready to support the young people of our community and to work with them towards realising their aspirations, and thanks particularly to the unfaltering determination of Town Surveyor, Daryl Chambers.”
Part of the impetus for this project was the fact that teenagers had no area of their own and, if they ventured into a younger children’s playground, they were often eyeballed out of it by concerned parents. These young people are happy to share what they’ve created.
And, as 14 year-old Nathan Baxter insists on telling everyone “This is for everyone from 0-99.”
Packed full of people enjoying themselves
Putting aside visions of picket lines of angry centenarian demonstrators, these young people, with help from supportive adults, have succeeded in achieving something very special for our area. On the two nights the Play area was “unofficially” open it was packed full of people enjoying themselves, all ages from toddlers to teenagers, with parents beaming on. It was relatively empty by 10pm.
“Exactly what we were aiming for,” said Arthur. “A little taste of what we’re trying to do with the “Rights respecting” initiative, perhaps – the right to have fun! Something we all need to do, without giving trouble or getting troubled.”