Finlay Chamberlain-Brown gives the newly asphalted pump track the thumbs up. Photo / Supplied
Finlay Chamberlain-Brown gives the newly asphalted pump track the thumbs up. Photo / Supplied
A pipe dream has been made a reality for the Te Puke Playcentre.
Children from the Playcentre were recently let loose on a new purpose-built asphalt bike pump track.
Empire of Dirt started the build at the end of November last year and through heavy rain, winds and sunshine managed to complete it at the start of December.
“This has been truly exciting to see completed, as it’s created a whole new learning space at our centre,” says grants officer Debra Chamberlain-Brown.
“We originally had a clay track previously installed by prior members which unfortunately became harder to maintain over time. So we wanted to honour their hard work by sticking with a bike track development but asphalting it to make it as low-maintenance as possible for longevity,” Debra says.
“Empire of Dirt, based locally, specialises in mountain bike, school and pump tracks, and they were absolutely brilliant to deal with.”
The track is designed to suit the skill levels of the 6 years and under children at Playcentre, whether they are using bikes, trikes, scooters, skateboards or trolleys - which have all been tried out on the track.
The project has been a dream for several years for attending community members and families.
As a non-profit charity, it comes with the challenge of raising the funds to achieve these kinds of projects.
“We were fortunate to obtain donations and funding from Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool Ltd, EastPack Limited, Seeka, Industrial Tube Manufacturing Co, Southern Cross Horticulture, Kiwifruit Investments, The Sargood Bequest and The Chamberlain Family Trust,” Debra says.
“Without their help, this would not have been achieved and we cannot thank them enough. It is truly a blessing to be helped by local businesses and grants which are so integral to the Te Puke community.”
Even heavy rain hasn't put off the kids from using the pump track.
From the moment it was available, children have been on it, having a go, says president Holly Brawn-Douglas.
“It makes it all so worthwhile to see the benefits that it will bring them. This wonderful space provides our tamariki with the opportunity to build their confidence and challenge themselves, no matter what their skill level, and being able to have a go whenever they want - rain or shine - fits in with the Playcentre ethos of child-led play,” Holly says.
“The learning outcomes created by this resource resonate with multiple strands of the Ministry of Education’s Te Whāriki curriculum - the framework we use to recognise and document the learning of our tamariki, including wellbeing, belonging, contribution, communication and exploration .”
The Te Puke Playcentre, on Stock Rd, is a non-profit charity parent-run early childhood education centre, offering high-quality education for children in mixed age groups from 0 to 6 years old.
They run sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 8.45am to 12.15pm during the school term.
The centre welcomes anyone in the community who wants to take their children along and stay during the session to support them through meaningful play experiences.
Te Puke Playcentre also have SPACE programme sessions running on Mondays and Fridays, which are focused on supporting new parents with under one-year olds.
