Doncaster College student designs new seating area for popular city park

The seating area at Hexthorpe Park, designed by Nathan, a local student from Doncaster College, is a result of a project given to students by City of Doncaster Council’s ‘Get Doncaster Moving’ (GDM) team.

Doncaster College’s visual arts students were invited to work on a project last year with the GDM team and were tasked with thinking about how they would like to use parks and open spaces, what would encourage them to visit more, and how they currently feel about using them.

A running theme throughout many of the students’ work was around creating social spaces for young people to feel welcome in.

Nathan’s design caught the attention of the team as it was designed in such a way that it brought to life a lot of the recent recommendations that have been published nationally around how to make parks more inviting for young people.

Deputy Mayor, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Business and Councillor Glyn Jones (Hexthorpe and Balby North) said: “I would like to congratulate and thank Nathan for sharing their ideas with us and creating a unique social space that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors of all ages.

"Hexthorpe Park has seen a number of improvements over the past few months that have come to fruition after engagement with local residents.”

This has included the installation of Doncaster’s first and only pétanque pitch and the formation of Doncaster Pétanque Club, interactive park games through the council’s partnership with Enigma Rooms and free tennis coaching sessions.

The park also hosted an ‘Into the park’ event last summer in partnership with Right Up Our Street.

Coun Jones added: “We will also soon see the launch of the revamped tennis courts due to Local Tennis Association funding - all of these changes are made to encourage more people to enjoy their local park and become regular visitors.

"I would also like to thank all the groups and volunteers for their support in bringing life to the park, it is hugely appreciated by the Council and the local community.”

Councillor Sophie Liu (Hexthorpe and Balby North) said: “Nathan’s bright and open design is eye catching and different to what is currently seen in Doncaster parks.

"This is the first project of its kind in Doncaster, and it’s wonderful to see that we were able to not only support local students with their college courses, but to end up with a design being made and installed in Hexthorpe Park is fantastic. Alongside the seating areas we have planted blossoming cherry trees to add to the scenery.”

Nathan, the student behind the design, Doncaster College said: “When starting my design, I thought of people around my age (15-17) and what I would want in a park.

"What I would want in a park is a place to meet up with friends on a nice day.

"The colours in my design reflect those of a kid's playground but by using the pastel versions it creates a more teenage style, all while still fitting in with the main colours of a kid's park.

"I'm so grateful to have worked with such amazing people throughout this process to make it a reality. It's so surreal that this park has made it out of my sketchbook into the real world. I hope people enjoy the space.”

The GDM team work to support people in Doncaster to lead more active lives. The project is made possible due to funding by Sport England and the National Lottery. Part of this work involves looking at park’s usage – including at Hexthorpe Park - and how to encourage more people to use and enjoy parks, and more often – this project is known as ‘Doncaster Future Parks’.

For more information about Get Doncaster Moving Future Parks project please visit: Future Parks | Get Doncaster Moving