I'm Gary Spencer Bonehill, and I carry out playground inspections in Preston and the surrounding area. I'm based in Chorley — about 11 miles south of Preston, which is around 20 minutes down the A6 or the M61. It's one of the shortest trips I do.

Preston is the county town of Lancashire and has a good number of parks, schools, and play areas that need regular inspection. Whether it's Avenham Park, Moor Park, or a school playground in Fulwood or Ribbleton, I can get there quickly and without fuss.

I inspect both outdoor playgrounds and indoor soft play centres to BS EN 1176 and BS EN 1177 standards.

If you search for playground inspections in Preston, you'll mostly find two types of result: large national companies dispatching inspectors from wherever they happen to be, and SEO-heavy websites that don't tell you much about who's actually turning up to do the work.

Companies like Playground Safety Inspector, The Play Inspection Company, and Wicksteed all cover Preston as part of their national networks. They'll send whoever is available. You might get a different person each time, and you'll likely deal with a call centre to arrange it.

Then there are companies like ESP Play in Burnley who primarily sell and install playground equipment and offer inspections as an add-on. There's nothing wrong with their inspectors, but it's worth knowing that when the company also sells equipment, there's at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Here's what's different about working with me:

• I'm genuinely independent. I don't sell, install, or maintain playground equipment. My only job is to inspect it honestly and report what I find. No upselling, no steering you towards a particular supplier.
• You deal with me directly. When you ring, I answer. When you book an inspection, I'm the one who turns up. There's no call centre, no account manager, no being passed between departments.
• I'm local. Preston is a 20-minute drive for me. I'm not travelling from the other end of the country.
• 25 years of mechanical engineering. Before I became a play inspector, I spent 25 years as a mechanical engineer. That gives me a practical understanding of structural integrity, wear patterns, and material fatigue that most inspectors simply don't have.
• RPII registered. I hold the same Register of Play Inspectors International qualifications as inspectors at the big firms.

As well as Preston itself, I cover the surrounding areas including Fulwood, Bamber Bridge, Leyland, Penwortham, Longton, and further afield into the Ribble Valley. If you manage play equipment anywhere in the Preston area, get in touch for a straightforward quote.