New Playground Gets Some National Love

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t’s only been open two days, and already Greystones’ swanky new playground is feeling the national love.

Not just from the hundreds of kids who have literally run in through its gates over the last 48 hours, but from de mainstream meeja too.

Oooh, fancy.

Unsurprisingly, given that its smarter journalists live here, it’s The Irish Times who have beaten their rivals to the post when it comes to singing our praises once again, pointing out in today’s paper that the town’s newest addition is being billed as one of Ireland’s most inclusive playgrounds.

And that’s because it is.

Pointing out that Jennifer, Niamh and the rest of the South Beach Playground gang took into account physical and sensory disabilities as well as additional needs of children on the autism spectrum and those with motor coordination difficulties, it’s clear that this innovative approach to inclusivity is a major step forward for such a facility.

Which, as witnessed last Friday during a special VIP sneak peek, is very much appreciated in the town.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Jennifer Whitmore praised Wicklow County Council for their work with the playground committee on everything from the design to the all-important budget. Did we mention that WCC put up €150,000 – over half the budget – for this dream playground? 

Niamh Egan pointed out in the same piece that all those parents in the South Beach committee had put their “hearts and souls into making the playground a special place for our community“. And all that hard work has paid off. In spades. And buckets.

The official opening, by the way, will be next month, once the dust has settled, the grass has fully grown, and the kids have stopped screaming with unbridled and ear-splitting glee.