The UK's leading supplier of non-slip decking boards has created a bespoke walkway for one of the country's most famous and well-loved gardens.
An estimated 170,000 people a year will tread the 500 metre boardwalk, created by Gripsure for the Jungle at Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Gripsure designed the bespoke decking to replace the previous walkway, which consisted of wooden boards covered with chicken wire. The brief was for a boardwalk with a very high non-slip rating that was as safe as possible for visitors, while not detracting visually from the famous exotic gardens.
As well as complementing the historic plants, some of which were brought back to Cornwall by Victorian collectors, the boards also had to be sufficiently durable to cope with high traffic over a number of years.
The new boards are plain faced, giving a more traditional look than Gripsure's other decking products. Each board features three strips of anti-slip aggregate and remains slip-resistant even when faced with water, leaves and moss.
When Heligan's maintenance team have completed the installation, the new boardwalk will take visitors across four ponds, past giant rhubarb, banana plantations and avenues of palms. Positioned in a steep-sided valley, the boardwalk travels up and down slopes through tunnels of towering bamboo.
The new boardwalk is part of an effort to enhance the Jungle experience for visitors, along with a new Burma Rope Bridge and landscaping of one of the large ponds.
Gripsure Director Mike Nicholson said: "Working with the Lost Gardens of Heligan has been a challenging and interesting project. It is very satisfying to have designed a new board for this prestigious attraction, which delivers on being safe and practical while being visually non-obtrusive.
"We are delighted to know that Gripsure's boards will benefit thousands of visitors from around the world."
Jungle Supervisor Cindy Maddison said: "Gripsure have created a new boardwalk that enhances the look and feel of the Jungle. They provided us with a quality product at a competitive price as well as a friendly and professional service, where nothing was too much trouble. We are very happy with the results."
