Dublin City Council is delighted to announce the introduction of BoxUp to some of its local parks, with an official launch in Eamonn Ceannt Park.
BoxUp is an outdoor locker system that allows members of the public to access and use sports and leisure equipment for up to three hours for free, through a dedicated app.
Welcoming the new unit to Eamonn Ceannt Park, Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste said, “I am delighted to support this great initiative which will be of great benefit to the local community and will support health & wellness for Dubliners.”
Carmel O’Callaghan, the local Active Cities Officer for Dublin City explains, “you just need to download the free BoxUp app on your smartphone, and create your account using photo ID. There are no credit card or bank details required. Just select on the app the equipment you want to use, and the locker will open. When you are finished your activity, simply place the equipment back in the locker and upload a picture to the app confirming you’ve returned it.”
Over the past year, eight Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs), through the Active Cities project, have been working collaboratively to create more access to opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity across the five largest cities in Ireland – Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.
The project aims to expand the opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to lead healthier lifestyles through increased access to free sport and leisure equipment.
In recent months, the Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership in collaboration with the Parks Division of Dublin City Council installed two units, one north of the city in Mount Bernard Park, Cabra and the second in Eamonn Ceannt Park in Crumlin. Each unit has six lockers containing a variety of equipment such as Basketball, Football, Pickleball, Speedminton, exercise equipment and more.
Leading on the project, Mary Corry, National Active Cities Officer said, “we know that for some, accessing equipment can be a real barrier to their participation, and with so many facilities, parks and open spaces across our cities, it’s important we try to meet the needs of individuals to enable them to be active. It’s exciting to see the initial uptake, with almost 400 users and over 1,200 uses of equipment across both parks in Dublin City to date.”
Through the Active Cities project, Swiss company BoxUp and the LSPs have brought the first lockers to Ireland, ten of which are already up and running in locations across Dublin, Waterford and Cork, with another two to be installed in Limerick in the coming weeks.
Sport Ireland Director of Participation, Louise Burke stated, “Sport Ireland is delighted to see the launch of BoxUp in Dublin City today. The Active Cities project is funded through Dormant Accounts Funding, which aims to engage communities across the country by supporting those who are educationally, socially, or economically disadvantaged or those who have a disability to become more active. It is fantastic to see Dublin City Sports & Wellbeing Partnership working with Dublin City Council Parks and other key partners to ensure everyone in the city has an opportunity to be active in their own community.”
Source: Dublin City Council
