Play Areas

St Mary’s Island has three children’s play areas—Shark Park, Starfish, and Tadpoles—owned and maintained by Chatham Maritime Trust. They reopened on August 7, 2020, with safety measures, and remained open as of April 2021.

CCTV monitoring over the weekend of March 21-22 revealed that social distancing was not observed in the parks. Due to concerns about increased virus transmission from constant use of play equipment, Chatham Maritime Trust has decided to close the parks effective March 23, 2020. Signage will explain the closure at each entrance. We appreciate your understanding during this unprecedented situation.

Located along the central walkway from The Stones roundabout, Shark Park features a children’s area and a games court for older kids and teens, including swings, a rolling beam, dizzy discs, a multi-play unit, ball game post, climbing frame, and a basketball court. A table tennis table was added in July 2018. In August 2021, outdoor exercise equipment was installed; users must be at least 140cm tall and should read the instructions before use.

This playground in Restharrow Way is suitable for kids ages 3-5 years.

This includes spring bird, equipment slide, cradle swings, spring seesaw, roundabout and recreational timbers.

The play area at Bradfords Close was transferred to Chatham Maritime Trust in July 2012 and opened on August 17, catering to children aged 3-12. It features monkey bars, a shaking chain bridge, bay flat swings with barriers, a hoop walk, and a scramble arch. Additional play areas are planned in Countryside’s Azure development, including a Multi Games Area, a Local Area of Play, and a Neighbourhood Area.