The new playground in Cranmore has been officially opened by Mayor Cllr. Tom McSharry in a sea of colour, fun and celebration. The new playground, which was delivered as an ‘early win’ for the Cranmore Regeneration Project was funded through the RAPID programme, Sligo Borough Council, Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government and Groundwork Northern Ireland. The playground signals the beginnings of a brighter future for the community and is among the first visible signs that regeneration is now well and truly underway in Cranmore.
Mayor McSharry called it a ‘special day for the local community - the opening of the new playground is the latest in a series of very positive developments for the local community.’ The Mayor went on to pay tribute to the many people who played a part in bringing the project to fruition: ‘The impetus and inspiration for change and progress emanated from the Cranmore community. They articulated their concerns about the deficit of play and recreation areas, a situation that could not be allowed to continue with such a significant children and youth population.’
Very early on in the consultation process with the Community the issue of play and recreation facilities emerged as a top priority for the residents and young people of Cranmore. With one third of the population of Cranmore aged under 16 years of age it is little wonder that the issue adequate provision of play and recreation was highlighted by the community as a key issue to be addressed in the development of the Masterplan for regeneration. As a result, Cranmore was prioritised for investment of the RAPID playground funding and the new playground was delivered in response to the expressed needs of the community.
Project Leader, Jennifer Murphy said that the opening of the playground marked a proud day for the residents of Cranmore as they see the efforts of the past two years coming to fruition. Jennifer acknowledged the participation of the local community in the consultation process and stated that investment in play and recreation for young people was one of the key objectives of the regeneration project. It formed a strong element of the Cranmore Regeneration Masterplan which has been submitted to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government for approval and funding earlier this year. Jennifer also acknowledged the hard work of the contractors, Go Play, Ballygawley Plant Hire and Oliver Scally as well as Sligo Borough Council’s Parks Department and the Cranmore Regeneration Team in delivering the project on time and within budget.
Sue Mahon, Chairperson of the Community Platform, spoke of the long road that the Cranmore community have travelled on in getting to the stage they are at today. She spoke of the proud moment for the community in seeing the first stages of the regeneration arrive in Cranmore with the opening of the playground. She urged all agencies to continue to work together with the Community in developing the Social Plan aimed at addressing the many social issues faced by the Cranmore Community.
Fr Dominic Gilhooley, Fr Steve Walsh and Sr Teresa Kilcourse marked the opening of the playground with a special blessing joined by the parents and children of the Community who also took the opportunity to read out the ground rules for the playground which were developed by the children of the community themselves.
Councillor Tom McSharry was then joined by two of the local children from Cranmore in cutting the ribbon and declaring the new playground officially opened. A balloon release took place to the cheers and applause of the community as children and parents enjoyed the afternoon’s entertainment of magicians, face painting, bouncy castles and fun activities organised by Sligo Borough Council and the Community Platform to celebrate this very special occasion.