Teach Secondary 14.4

“The impact can be transformative” Why have MUGAs become so popular in recent years? I think COVID helped us all realise just how important spending time outside was to our health and wellbeing. Across the education sector we’ve seen more and more schools creating facilities that enable students to enjoy being outdoors year-round, and seeing huge benefits as a result. What are the biggest benefits of creating year-round outdoor sports facilities? The most obvious is that whatever the British weather throws at you and your students, our MUGA canopies can cope with it! Another big consideration is that it makes your facilities more attractive for hosting after-school clubs, inter- school tournaments and even for hiring out. Several of the schools we’ve worked with have been able to bring in additional revenue after upgrading their sports facilities. What key considerations should schools think about when installing a cover for their MUGA? Because we’re Brits, we tend to focus on rain, sleet and snow when we think about all-weather protection – but it’s also important to factor in the sun. Our unique Opal 60 canopy fabric allows 60% light penetration to create a lovely, airy playing experience, whilst simultaneously protecting students from harmful UV rays. Enabling daylight penetration can also be an ABOUT STEPHEN: Stephen Toone is the Managing Director of Fordingbridge Contact: 01243 554 455 | fordingbridge.co.uk | info@fordingbridge.co.uk What’s the difference? + Complimentary, expert site visits to help you transform your vision into a reality + Design, manufacture and installation carried out by a single team for a seamless stress-free experience + All Fordingbridge education canopies come with a sector-leading 25-year guarantee 30 SECOND BRIEFING Fordingbridge is the UK’s leading provider of all-weather solutions for the education sector, designing and installing off-the-shelf and bespoke canopy solutions for multi-use games areas (MUGAs), outdoor learning and dining areas, social spaces, walkways and bike storage. Q&A Stephen Toone outlines the health, social and financial benefits of upgrading your multi-use games area to become an all-weather facility. important step towards saving on lighting costs! Are there any other design considerations you’d advise schools to bear in mind? MUGA canopies are large structures, so you want to make sure they fit in as seamlessly as possible with their surroundings. We can create hybrid steel and wood structures to suit natural surroundings, or we can powder coat steel structures in a school’s custom colours. It’s also worth thinking about protecting your facilities from debris like twigs and wet leaves, which can damage courts and create dangerous or slippery surfaces. Mesh sides are a great way of doing this, while still allowing the airflow needed to create optimal playing conditions. Are there any emerging trends in this area that schools should be aware of? Sustainability is a growing consideration, and there are lots of ways to ensure your MUGA canopy is more sustainable. At Fordingbridge, all of our structures are made from materials that are fully recyclable at the end of their lifetime, and we also manufacture all our structures in-house to minimise the carbon footprint of each of our builds. Ensuring that any canopy you create can easily be added to or converted is another way of ensuring sustainable use. PA R T N E R C O N T E N T 64 teachwire.net/secondary