Shades of Comfort
Experience the joys of outdoor living, all year round…
Shades of Comfort are extremely proud to have designed and manufactured our own maintenance free Tensile Umbrella - The Poseidon. Renowned for its exceptional strength and durability, the Poseidon is a perfect ‘fit and forget’ solution for the education sector.
Ours is one of the few central mast tensile umbrellas in the United Kingdom to be certified for outstanding snow loading and wind bearing capabilities. Our Poseidon Umbrellas are a perfect addition to school playgrounds or playing fields, college or university outside spaces or indeed for playgroups or nurseries.
The Poseidon is installed directly into the ground using our specially designed in-ground sleeve system. When combined with the 114mm treated powder coated steel mast, this delivers a phenomenal degree of stability and allows us to offer an unrivalled 10 year framework guarantee with confidence.
There are many benefits to a Poseidon Umbrella in an educational setting, here are just some:
- They create a space for a variety of uses including outdoor dining, recreation or indeed lessons. Research by Learning through Landscapes found that over 83% of schools reported that better grounds and practice led to more active play, better quality of play, more social interaction and more enjoyment of break time.
- Pupils can play outside more regularly.
- They add a focal point to the area and are visually appealing to children.
- Parents can wait sheltered at the end of the day to collect their child.
- They are maintenance free and are easy to clean.
- They provide a high level UV protection which can be critical for skin protection – a must in the education sector. Children spend almost half their childhood at school, with approximately eight hours per week spent outdoors. During the hotter months of the year children are exposed to UV radiation from the sun, the majority of which is when UV penetration is at its strongest. UK Government advice is that children should spend time in the shade, particularly from 11am to 3pm.
- Children’s skin is much more sensitive than adult skin, and damage caused by repeated exposure to sunlight could lead to skin cancer developing in later life.
- The 2005 House of Commons Education and Skills Committee report, ‘Education Outside the Classroom’ concluded that “school grounds are a vital resource for learning” and that… “capital projects [should] devote as much attention to the ‘outdoor classroom’ as to the innovative design of buildings and indoor space”.
Contact us today for your FREE setting visit and a no obligation quotation or give us a call on 01452 307999
Shades of Comfort