At TouchWood, we are passionate about play. Our mission is to create amazing, unique play experiences where kids can use their imagination to have their own adventures, in a safe, stimulating, natural setting.
TouchWood was founded in 2002 on the fundamental idea that play is essential to childhood. And when we say “play”, we mean it – not structured, supervised, managed play – we mean old-school outdoor imaginative play, with mud pies, battles, hiding, stick bashing, war cries, pretending, listening, touching, experimenting, building, feeling, smelling.
Everything we create is unique and crafted from locally-sourced durable woods like larch, chestnut and oak. Our bespoke natural playgrounds look beautiful, blend seamlessly with their natural landscape, or provide a hint of woodland magic to more urban locations. We do all of this from our two workshops outside Bristol.
TouchWood’s Founder, Joe Cooper, says, “Each project is unique, making them such a joy to work on. Play is so important. I’m a firm believer in the importance of creating natural playgrounds where modern children can learn to understand what it means to take risks. But I’m also passionate about creating beautiful environments that complement their surroundings and that parents, grandparents and carers want to spend time in too.”
Our playground design approach & company ethosTouchWood is one of the very few companies that source and process the raw materials; then design, manufacture, install and maintain our play equipment.
Our difference is the care and value we give to each piece of timber that goes into your play feature. Selecting a specific branch that will create an archway over a slide or choosing a particular trunk that will be crafted into the perfect hollow log for your site.
We help you tailor the level of community engagement you want in creating your playground – so whether it’s a simple telephone conversation or right the way through to a five-day design and build workshop with community groups, we’re there every step of the way. We’re experts in all things play and will support you with everything from inspiring ideas to installation, long-term care, and maintenance.
We recognise that unique communities need their own unique play landscapes. Whether you’re a small rural school, or a large leisure, tourism or retail business, our design process matches the ambitions of your community with your budget, your unique environment, and your vision for play.
We actively involve all of our clients in the creation of our playgrounds – from those clients who want a simple telephone conversation about what they hope to achieve to Designing for Real days with National Trust volunteers, all the way through to five-day design and build workshops with community groups – we have a design solution that we can tailor to the level of community engagement that you want.
Our bespoke natural playgrounds are designed to be accessible for adults as well as children, encouraging cross-generational play. Even though we offer opportunities for a broad range of play values – like climbing, scrambling, balancing and swinging – our installations are defined by the way that they trigger the imaginations of the players.
The natural twisting forms of our raw materials and the clever subtlety of narrative in our designs enable children to play out their dreams – whether that’s climbing inside giant trees or dancing in the rain!
In addition to the playful aesthetic that wood presents, it is also a sustainable choice for building materials. Wood locks up carbon, buying wood brings income to local landowners, and old wood is easy to recycle. Children are fascinated by the lifecycle of trees, and we are always seeking to widen children’s understanding of the importance of building with trees through assembly presentations and hands-on workshops.
Yes, we’re green as can be! From sustainable sourcing to educating kids about their environmental impact, there are plenty of opportunities for people of all ages to get hands-on with us through design days and sustainable carpentry workshops.
Our dedicated team of craftsmen are committed to looking after our play areas and ensuring that they last as long as possible and continue to be enjoyed for years to come.
We will come to your play area and conduct a detailed survey of all the items we installed. Any low-level maintenance tasks like minor repairs on timber, sanding timber, replacing plugs, tightening ropes and replacing fixings will be undertaken during the time allocated for this visit.
Our concept design team can quickly help you explore pricing, themes and play value on a call – submit your email address and our team will get in touch. Our designs are bespoke and no two are the same. Whether you’re a school or a world class leisure park, we can quickly come up with some ideas to support your project.
