Creating Adventurous Places (CAP.Co), the adventure play specialist, is celebrating the success of Windsor Great Park Adventure Play, which has been named as a recipient in this year’s Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement.
This prestigious award from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) will be officially presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles in March 2025.
Unique family experience
Windsor Great Park is a historic Royal landscape of woodlands, pastures, lakes, and gardens in the south of England. Its custom-built adventure playground, Adventure Play, opened in July 2023 and has already welcomed over 130,000 visitors.
This inclusive family attraction was commissioned by The Crown Estate and designed and constructed by UK-based CAP.Co, with the support of a large multidisciplinary team. The playground, which is situated in the Autumn Wood area of the Savill Garden, was designed to honour its surroundings. It is constructed sustainably using traditional techniques, such as thatching, and with wood sourced mainly from the estate.
Treehouse buildings, tunnels, rope bridges, towers, and walkways have been created on the two-acre site, along with quirky and amazing artworks like floral megaphones and huge musical instruments, challenging puzzles, and the first roller slide in the UK. The attraction features sensory experiences throughout, such as a fragrant planting scheme, wind chimes, a seasonal interactive projector, tactile sculptures of wildlife from the area, and more.
Adventure Play minimises any adverse human impact on the environment and local biodiversity while giving families the perfect opportunity to climb, scramble, and test their physical bravery in a safe, purpose-designed location that fosters a sense of connection with nature.
Paul Sedgwick, deputy ranger and managing director of Windsor & Rural at The Crown Estate, says: “The concept behind Adventure Play was to provide a unique family experience unlike anything else currently out there, an experience that reflects the unique heritage and environment of the Windsor Estate. We hope this new addition to the Savill Garden will inspire the next generation of nature lovers.
“The whole project team worked relentlessly to ensure the playground was designed and built to the highest standards, so we are thrilled that the attention to detail shown by them all has been recognised by TEA.”
“To be chosen by an international panel of judges for Adventure Play at Windsor Great Park really is a very humbling experience,” says Simon Egan, CAP.Co founder. “Our passion for creating places that inspire adventurous play and get imaginations roaring into life, is how this company was born. It isn’t about sitting and watching your children have a good time, our playgrounds are always designed to encourage both adults and children to play together.”
“We have been lucky enough to work with clients who see the potential of creating something unique for their visitors.”
TEA established the Thea Awards in 1994 to support the association’s key goal of recognising exceptional accomplishment, talent, and individual excellence in the themed entertainment sector.
See also: The TEA’s Thea Awards: the Oscars of themed entertainment
The Thea Awards have gained international recognition as a mark of outstanding achievement. These honours celebrate excellence in the development of captivating educational, historical, and entertainment initiatives, highlighting the importance of experience design and themed entertainment approaches in engaging people throughout the world.
Earlier this month, CAP.Co and Newhaven Fort, a heritage site in East Sussex, UK, revealed details of a new adventure playground which is being developed as part of the attraction’s £7.5 million restoration project.
Images courtesy of Kev Foster
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