Mayor Fintan Warfield turns the sod at the new play space in Rathcoole Park on Thursday October 1st
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Mayor Fintan Warfield turns the sod at the new play space in Rathcoole Park on Thursday October 1st
The turning of the sod in Rathcoole Park signals the beginning of the implementation of the Council’s Five Year Play Space Programme that runs from 2014 to 2018. More than 60 play spaces are planned throughout the county initially targeted at the 1-8 years old children and there will be a number of play spaces for all age groups.
The programme was endorsed by the Council in 2013 and over the five year period it will involve an expenditure of over €700,000.
Mayor Warfield acknowledged the efforts which went into the consultation process for these facilities, praising the commitment of local resident’s and community groups who were invited to participate in the decision making process relating to the location and design of their new play space.
He also thanked the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for the €15,000 funding received which ‘greatly contributed to the overall expenditure’.
One feature of the designs that has emerged from the consultation process is the emphasis on Natural Play where you allow the child to direct play for themselves and where the existing features of the site are utilised as much as possible.
Rathcoole Park is one of South Dublin County’s great parks and credit for it goes to the local Parks Staff of Paul Allen and his team as well as the local residents who are so protective of it and its amenities. A special mention was also given to the contribution made by Creative Play Solutions who have been appointed the Contractor for this project.
This project will also be enhanced when the link to Saggart is formally completed though the Millrace development. This park is ideal for a play space and it has been designed to incorporate the existing mounding as well as the stream that runs through the park. It is therefore appropriate that this is the first sod turning for the Five Year Play Space Programme.
Before turning the sod Mayor Warfield applauded South Dublin County Council’s initiative ‘Health and Wellbeing Week’ that has been running all this week here in the County. He added ‘there is so much talk now of health and exercise and the effects on children of not eating properly or not exercising on a daily basis that I am delighted to be turning the sod on a facility that will allow children to improve both physically, socially and mentally. I would like to finish on a quote from our great Irish Playwright George Bernard Shaw who said:
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old -
we grow old because we stop playing”.
END
Images
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Mayor Fintan Warfield with Cllr Emer Higgins and Michael Hannon SDCC -
Mayor Warfield is closely watched as he turns the first sod