This article is from page 28 of the 2008-03-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
TULLA residents are being asked to buy a brick and help build play facili- ties which will have local children jumping for joy for years to come.
Planning permission has now been granted for the development of a play area after a year of work by a com- mittee of parents sick of travelling miles to find a see-saw, and commu- nity representatives who want better facilities in the village.
“We take children to Shannon, Loughrae, Portumna – anywhere. There’s just nothing in east Clare,” said committee member and parent, Jim O’Sullivan.
“The need for the development of community facilities, especially playgrounds and amenities for young people, is a prominent concern for the developing communities in not just Tulla but all of east Clare.”
€110,000 in grant money has been made available for the playground but another €40,000 is needed to make the youngsters’ dream a real- ity.
The committee members are hope- ful that kids will be swinging, slid- ing, running and climbing before the summer is over and with that in mind, they are asking locals to buy a notional brick to make up the cash needed.
“We were very fortunate and very thankful to Mick Kehoe for donating the site to us,” said Jim.
“Unfortunately equipment you find in a domestic garden is not robust enough to give decades of service in a public playground. A two-seat swing set costs €2,600 but adding in the required safety surfacing brings the cost of a swing set to over €5,000 and that is before other major items such as the ground-works, fencing and footpaths are paid for.”
The “Buy A Brick’ campaign in- volves donating €100 or whatever people can afford. The donation will go directly towards the building cost and everyone who buys a brick will
get a certificate to display.
‘People can buy a brick for them- selves or for friends and family. You can dedicate a brick for a special oc- casion anniversary, birthday or a me- morial for a loved one,’ said Jim.
“We recognise the fact that 100 is a lot of money for some families to donate so we would gladly welcome any contribution that people can make,” he added.
The playground committee would also welcome the support of any companies in the area who could make a corporate donation.
The committee will launch their campaign in the courthouse on Wednesday, April 2 at 8pm.