The Challenge:
Tenterden Leisure Centre had an existing, well-loved water play area installed by Hippo Leisure in 2010. Over a decade of use meant the space was in need of regeneration. The challenge was to refresh the play area to meet modern standards, while adding new interactivity to enhance engagement for children of all ages. With a 25 m lane pool, as well as a wave machine, Tenterden needed a flexible set up to create a targeted timetable for both swimming and family sessions.
Our Solution
Hippo Leisure returned to Tenterden to modernise the water play area with a mix of interactive and themed features designed to appeal to a wide age range. Key updates included:
- Interactive waterball: Replacing the existing mast feature, the waterball includes water channels, a star spinner, and low-level jets, allowing children to manipulate water flow and create splashes. A high-level span pipe holds a large tipping bucket and three fish squirts for anticipatory play.
- Island features: We refreshed their existing island to feature extra-large tipping buckets combined with splash boards, a large octopus squirt, a span pipe with a fish squirt, a large tipping bucket, and a waterwheel, creating both visual impact and engaging play opportunities.
- Span pipe: The existing span pipe was replaced, with added features of a small tipping bucket, waterwheel, and themed squirts, including a seahorse and fish.
- Interactive wall panel: Replacing the treasure chest, the panel incorporates moving parts, mirrors, water bowls, and channels for tactile, visual, and auditory stimulation.
- Toddler Slide: The old pirate ship slide was replaced with a bright and tactile toddler slide, ideal for building water confidence and independence in young ones.
This combination of high and low-level features ensured the space catered to toddlers, older children, and families, while keeping the main pool area free for swimming lessons and sessions.
The Result
The refreshed water play area at Tenterden Leisure Centre now offers a vibrant, interactive environment that keeps children entertained for hours. The new features provide opportunities for imaginative play, anticipatory fun, and sensory engagement, while the design maintains flexibility for the centre’s varied programming. Families enjoy the mix of low-level play for toddlers and high-impact splash features for older children, ensuring the area caters for a broad range of ages in Tenterden’s community.