The Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Councillor Emma Murphy officially opened the renovated playground at Aylesbury Park.
Speaking at the event, Mayor Cllr Emma Murphy said, “the extension to this well used playspace is very welcome, it was provided as part of the 300K Have Your Say programme, which is voted for by the local community. The ideas for change came from a survey of the existing playspace users and utilises natural play principles, which have been tried and tested during the delivery of the Council’s playspace programme across the county.”
Natural play has benefits for children in terms of increasing mental and physical well-being, developing imagination and allowing children to assess risk and develop their coping abilities.
The Mayor went on to pay tribute to the local community for their support of the popular playground and the work of the Council staff in managing the project and maintaining the playground.
Furthermore, Councillor Emma Murphy officially opened the upgraded ball courts in Dodder Valley Park.
At the event, the Mayor said, “the upgrade consists of two full size basketball courts to International Basketball Federation standards and three tennis courts to International Tennis Federation standards. These works have been funded by the Public Realm Improvement Works Programme; additional funding has also been obtained through sports capital funding. Sport and active recreation are an important component of a successful park, in a recent survey by the Community Section they found that basketball courts were the most sought-after sports facility people would like to see made available for public use.”
“Playing basketball and Tennis helps to improve motor coordination, flexibility, and endurance. It also encourages speed, agility, and strength. The aim of the court upgrade is to empower people to create healthy habits, allowing people to improve their own physical and mental well-being through exercise in a Public Park. I am delighted to see the ball courts upgrades proven to be so popular and is getting such great use.”
Source: South Dublin County Council
