Rachel Westbury

Since the start of 2018, I have had the pure joy of transforming outdoor play and learning spaces for children. From the addition of a new water play zone, to the complete regeneration of a playground - I get to see the endless smiles of the children who use these new spaces every day, where they build lasting friendships, play together and spark a lifelong passion for learning without even realising it, and for this I count myself extremely fortunate.

I often get asked what I do for a living and the short answer is “ I design playgrounds for schools and nurseries” However, the answer that sums up my every day is – I work with some incredible people who care so deeply about their schools and the children within, and together we figure out what it is that they need and how best we can utilise available space and budget to create the best play and learning spaces possible. I then work with some extremely talented colleagues to make this a reality, turning my pencil sketches into our amazing 3D digital designs, then finally building these environments from scratch. Every project is a huge team effort and I am very lucky to be the person who gets to see this whole process and the difference it makes.

I look after the schools and nurseries in Kent, where I live with my amazing partner and two energetic young boys. We love to be active and outside as much as possible and very much relish living close to beaches and cities alike. Apart from my family, my favourite things are coffee, travel, pasta, spa days and freshly picked Kentish cherries and strawberries.