Active Garden

Active Garden: outdoor play equipment and safety surfacing since 2004

Active Garden is a UK supplier and installer of children's outdoor play equipment and playground safety surfaces. The company states it has been supplying and installing play sets since 2004, giving it more than two decades of activity in the sector. Its catalogue is split into two main lines: residential garden play equipment and commercial playground equipment for schools, nurseries, public playgrounds, hotels, pubs, caravan parks and holiday lets.

The range covers wooden climbing frames, swing sets, slides, playhouses, sandpits and mud kitchens, trampolines and garden games, together with a broad selection of accessories and DIY components. Active Garden also presents itself as a specialist in wooden climbing frames, sourced from brands including Active Towers, Hy-Land, Blue Rabbit and All Out Play.

Residential garden play equipment

For domestic gardens, the company groups its offer into climbing frames, swings and slides, forts and castles, and components for DIY construction. Within climbing frames it lists Blue Rabbit models (play towers, modules, accessories and combos), Active Explorer, Adventure Time, Active climbing frames and play towers, All Out Play, and Hy-land frames for residential gardens. The Jungle Gym line adds climbing frames, towers and combos or playparadises.

Swings and slides form a separate section, with swing sets, individual slides and swing accessories. The residential catalogue is completed with sandpits and mud kitchens, trampolines and garden games, plus a components section for customers assembling or extending their own setups.

Commercial playgrounds for schools, pubs and holiday sites

The commercial line is aimed at schools, nurseries, public playgrounds, hotels, pubs, caravan parks and holiday lets. It includes Active climbing frames and play towers, toddler and infant play towers, Hy-Land climbing frames for commercial playgrounds, panelled and themed climbing frames, All Out Play, playhouses, commercial swing sets, clamber stacks, adventure trails, freestanding play equipment, outdoor gym equipment, commercial sandpits and commercial slides.

The commercial range also covers playground springers and spring rockers, outdoor classrooms, shelters and gazebos, HDPE play panels, timber play equipment and early years play equipment. Active Garden references LAP, LEAP and NEAP play areas as part of this commercial offer. According to the company, some products already include installation while others require a quote on request.

Safety surfaces for playgrounds

Alongside the equipment, Active Garden supplies impact-absorbing surfacing intended to complement play areas. The options listed are rubber grass mats (Safagrass), rubber chippings, bark and mulch, bonded rubber bark or bonded rubber mulch, wet pour safety surfacing, artificial grass and rubber playground tiles, as well as hardwood playchip and woodchip.

The company notes that many of these materials are produced using recycled rubber, which it presents as an environmentally friendly choice for garden play areas and playground installations. These surfaces are directed at schools, public parks, nurseries, pubs and commercial playground projects.

Installation, design and coverage

Active Garden provides professional installation of climbing frames, playground equipment and safety surfaces across England and Wales, with Scotland covered by arrangement. The service is described as spanning design and planning through to installation and assembly, and the company also undertakes bespoke playground design and themed play areas for family pubs, campsites and community spaces.

Its stated customer base includes schools and nurseries, hotels and pubs, campsites and holiday parks, garden centres and farm shops, and residential garden customers. The company says it has completed hundreds of installations across the UK and mentions work with nurseries, primary schools, play groups, local authorities, parish councils, academies, construction companies, hotels, pubs, restaurants, clubs, campsites and farm shops. National UK delivery is listed among its services.

Advice and reputation

Active Garden presents its team as able to advise on choosing equipment for a given space, and offers a free consultation by telephone. The site refers to thousands of commercial and residential customers and to reviews reflecting more than twenty years of service; it also publishes a testimonials section and a gallery of recent installations. These claims of quality and reputation are the company's own presentation rather than an independent assessment.