About Us

Outdoor play equipment fun!

Commercial Outdoor Playground Equipment

Outdoor Play People is a family run business experienced in outdoor play equipment design, manufacture & installation. Your one stop shop.

Husband and wife team PJ & Cathy Craddock are at the helm, bringing in decades of experience and expertise within the sector to Outdoor Play People.

Cathy’s expertise is handling the sales, managing the design & running the business side of the company.

She loves working with her team and her clients, her time being split between the office and on the road. She particularly loves going out to meet new potential clients and catching up with previous customers. Relationship building is one of her favourite parts of the business and she loves how her position in this growing company facilitates that.

PJ spends the majority of his time either in the workshops or out on site making sure that everything is built and installed to the high standards of the company.

He’s most happy when working the wood, hammer in hand and bringing a project to life. He really does have an eye for detail.

Piotr aka Peteski is our Workshop Wizard.

His attention to detail and care for the finished product is second to none & he doesn’t let anything leave the workshop unless it is up to his impeccably high standards – a great asset for a workshop wizard (and one that makes PJ very happy!)

Michael aka Mikey is our top Installation Iron Man.

He knows that it’s really important that our installations can fit seamlessly into our customers’ lives, causing as little inconvenience as possible. He prides himself on this, always leaving a site as immaculate as possible. His favourite challenge is arriving on site, neatly creating a masterplace and disappearing again, making the playground look like it appeared by magic!

Louise aka Lou-Lou is our Princess of Production.

Lou-Lou liaises with the sales, workshop & installation teams to make sure everything lands where it should, when it should. She thrives on handling the entire process, managing workflows, timelines and the team super effectively.

Samuel aka Sam, is the newest member of our team and has fit in so wonderfully already.

Sam is Cathy’s right hand man and someone on a real quest to keep on top of all the queries & quick quotes. Sam ensures customers always have what they need so our production team can make the magic of play happen.

Jordan aka Jord (and other select names when he doesn’t listen…) is our budding Carpentry apprentice

Jord is now confidently starting to create Swings & Play vehicles all on his own (under the hawk-like watchful eyes of Pete & P.J.) It’s great seeing his creativity light up when he’s constructed a beautiful piece.

 You are our world!

You’re the master of your world. Whether you are a Family Attraction Operator or a School PTA committee member, a family owned Holiday Park, Councillor/Clerk of a Parish/Town Council, CEO of a multi park empire, Landlord of a village Pub or in the play trade, we love to support you and bring your dream to reality. 

We are the masters of play, and we’re here to ensure it’s a tailored fit to the requirements of you and your audience – who you likely already know so well.

We are often complimented for being good listeners (apart from Jord obviously!) Listening to your thoughts, ideas, experience, budgets & (if you have any) your concerns. Once we have gathered all the information we can get to work & start bringing your play dream to life. With a knowledge of the play equipment standards we can advise you to ensure your play area is compliant with the latest BSEN 1176 standards.

Why us?

We love what we do, we love the network of people that keep the cogs turning & we love our customers too. That’s why we put SO much care & attention into making sure your design, equipment, installation & after sales are tip-top.

We have decades of experience in everything outdoor play. From Schools to Family Attractions, Holiday Parks to Local Authorities, no job is out of our capabilities.

Not only do we bring play to life, we also believe it should be easy to care for. You are busy. Life is busy. And we want your play area to be busy all the time too! Meaning there really is no time for playground downtime through needing maintenance or repairs. This is why we use the best quality materials, and produce the equipment so that maintenance is minimal, saving you endless time, money & stress. What a weight off your shoulders!

After Sales

Once the project is complete, we want to see you thrive! You don’t get rid of us that easily! We are with you all the way from conception to completion and beyond. Our after sales care is as good as the day you first contacted us. We pride ourselves on equipment that lasts for many years. In the rare case that any problems arise, simply get in touch and we’ll be on hand to sort it.

Most of our work comes via word of mouth and that’s for a very good reason – it might even be the reason you’re here right now! Years of tip top ‘no quibble’ customer care!

Family values are at the heart of Outdoor Play People. And those values spread throughout the business to you – our customers.

Need inspiration?

Why don’t you check out a couple of our jobs we have carried out Click here to see the wonderful transformations on our Case Studies page.

You might find the advice from RoSPA on play area design really useful. Click here to read