News / family activites
Ball run attraction to launch in first step for citywide play trail
A ball run attraction is due to be installed at Anchor Square and Millennium Square in what is the first step towards a citywide play trail.
The Great Bristol Ball Run, which launches on August 3 and is run by the company Oddball, will consist of a trail of ball runs that children and adults alike can engage with.
Participants will buy a specially-designed wooden ball from the shop in We The Curious for £6, which they can then set loose on the runs and keep afterwards as a souvenir.
is needed now More than ever
Other than the cost of the ball, the attraction is free.
The ball run is designed as an affordable way to entertain children
Described by Oddball as “hours of play for the price of a pint”, the runs feature tilting mazes, skittle alleys, head-to-head racing challenges and one structure the height of a double-decker bus.
The company’s aim is to get people off their phones and outside, and to provide an affordable way for parents to entertain their children when days out are becoming more and more expensive.
The idea comes from the Swiss Alps, where ball runs – known as Kugelbahn – have been popular for years.
What is different here is that the project will be taking place in an urban environment – and one day, founders Ben Wright and Simon Jackman hope to make it a citywide attraction.
The runs come in all shapes and sizes
Wright, who until recently was Bristol24/7’s Managing Director, said: “Bristol’s nightlife, festivals, buzzing streets, carnival, art and music all drew me here more than 20 years ago.
“Now, with a couple of kids in tow, I’m excited to be part of something that can build on that spirit and hopefully turn Bristol into the UK’s first city-wide play trail: encouraging people to engage and explore it in new ways.”
Jackman’s previous work building giant marble runs at the Eden Project and Forestry England sites was a genesis for Ball Run, and he now handcrafts the balls and ball runs with his team at The Wooden Ball Company.
“I’ve spent 20 years building things for kids to play on, usually somewhere you have to travel to reach,” he said.
“This time, we’re bringing it to the heart of the city, right on people’s doorsteps.”
All photos: Chris Cooper
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