Rhino Play, the Devon-based playground designer and installer, has transformed a tired outdoor courtyard at Musgrove Park Hospital's children's unit in Taunton into a bright, sea themed play area, giving young patients and their families somewhere welcoming to play and relax between appointments.

Completed in June 2026, the project of approximately £25,000 marks Rhino Play's second visit to the children's unit, after staff invited the team back following a successful play project a few years ago.

This time, the focus was the small walled area directly outside the unit's waiting rooms. With an old patchwork of flooring and a few loose, worn pieces of equipment, the space was in real need of a facelift. Staff wanted it to feel appealing, friendly and fun, while making the most of a very limited footprint.

Rhino Play removed all of the old surfacing and completely redesigned the space, while the hospital's own team repainted and tidied the surrounding buildings. The new area includes:

• An HMS Dartmouth play ship, a compact unit giving children the chance to climb, slide, role play and be active without needing a large area.
• A sea themed safety surface, made from short pile artificial grass in blue and green, with sea creatures inset into the design.
• Interactive HDPE wall panels, including a tile slide game, a lighthouse height chart, a dolphin jumping sensory panel, a chalkboard and four in a row.
• A corner planter with seating and a UV shade sail, giving parents and carers a shaded spot to rest and watch the children play.

Every element was chosen with the setting in mind. Children visiting the unit may only have a few minutes to play between appointments, so the wall panels give them something engaging to do without taking up floor space, while the compact play ship offers a full range of activities in a small area. The artificial grass is safe underfoot and low maintenance, and doubles as part of the visual transformation, lifting the colour and brightness of the whole courtyard.

Stuart Hunt, Head of Sales at Rhino Play, said:

"It was lovely to be invited back to Musgrove Park Hospital. This courtyard is one of the first things families see when they arrive at the children's unit, so it really mattered that it felt bright and welcoming rather than tired and forgotten.

"Hospital spaces like this come with real constraints. There are walls on every side and very little room, and the children using it might only have a few minutes. That meant getting the most play value out of every square metre, with a compact play ship, panels on the walls and a surface that does as much for the look of the space as it does for safety.

"The staff and children have really taken to it, and we are proud to have helped make visits a little easier for the families who use the unit."

The new sea themed area is now in daily use, offering a bright and appealing space for children and families during their visits.

About Rhino Play

Rhino Play designs, manufactures and installs playgrounds, outdoor learning environments, trim trails, fitness equipment, surfacing, seating areas and bespoke outdoor play equipment for schools, parish and local councils, healthcare settings, and community and commercial organisations.

Manufactured in Devon, Rhino Play's timber and recycled plastic equipment is installed across the UK, from the established Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire areas, through to Hampshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and South Wales. Rhino Play offers free, no-obligation site visits across these areas. To find out more, email [email protected] or visit https://rhinoplay.co.uk/contact-us/.