Team project helps keep kids sun smart

Otago Daily Times

4 days ago

Fairlie's Village Green playground is getting a makeover in order to make it safer for summer.
Located on the corner of Main Rd and Talbot St, the playground has had a new safety fence put in place and will have much-needed shade sails installed before the end of the year.
While the safety fence was a Mackenzie District Council-led initiative, the shade sail project was made possible by concerned parents with the help of several South Canterbury organisations.
Parent Claire Dann said natural shade used to be provided at the playground by surrounding trees.
"One got removed for the skate park and another came down in a really bad wind. So, that left us with no real natural shade around the playground.
"In 2021 another mum, Hiltje Boysen-Anderson, started the project after being there with her little ones and realising you just couldn't get any shade, especially with babies that want to be on blankets.
"She started looking for ways we could get some shade sails and I joined in as well to see if we could get something happening."
The pair reached out to the likes of the local Cancer Society and Plunket to see if they would help with funding.
"She [Hiltje] reached out to a local Cancer Society member and they were like 'this is right up our alley, we could help with some funding', so that was a great start.
"Then we talked to the local Plunket group as they have a play session there once a week with lots of mums with under 5s.
"They thought it was a cool thing to support as well, so we had the beginnings of a project."
Plans for the shade sail were drawn up pro bono by Felipe Silva Valves, of Timaru architectural design firm Silva Studio, and were presented to the Mackenzie District Council and approved.
The Fairlie Community Board then helped with the remaining funds and the support poles for the sails were installed by local builders at the end of May.
Ms Dann said it was great to see so many different people and organisations join forces to make the project happen.
"That's what small communities are often about, people chipping in. It's definitely been a team project.
"We also have Allan from Kotuku Saddlery, he has donated the canvas for them and has put up a lot of shade sails.
"He'll get those done up by springtime and that's when it will all start to look like something.
"We're kind of aiming for a Labour Weekend to Easter Weekend kind of time frame for the sails to be up for."
She said the sails would be hugely important for the area.
"It's been really noticeable, last summer wasn't fabulous.
"When we've had hot summers it's been hard for local families with young ones to go down to the playground.
"It's just really hard to keep them sun smart and protected when they're always ripping their hats of and stuff like that," Ms Dann said.
"I think having some shade protection is really going to help the local community and obviously it will be an asset for any visitors passing through as well.
"Once those shade sails are up around October we'll have a little do and a little party to celebrate because it has been a couple of years in the making."
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