CONSTRUCTION work has started on a new €165,000 multi-use games amenity (MUGA) that will benefit from the proceeds of the Christmas Day Swim at Twomilegate, Killaloe.
A Killaloe woman is one of the main drivers of a new MUGA near Boher National School, which will be fully accessible for people with disabilities and will be a major addition to recreational facilities in the Killaloe/Ballina area.
Born in Ballyvalley, Killaloe, Nicola Welford is now living in Boher and is the chairperson of Boher Community Development Group, who are fundraising to complete the state-of-the-art MUGA.
Their ambitious plans include introducing targeted programmes for groups with disabilities such as Autism, workshops on inclusive sport and training to help those who may find sporting activities difficult to master. The group has worked hard raising funds for different projects over the last two years.
An allocation of almost €93,000 has been secured from Sports Capital funding as well as €20,000 from Tomar Trust.
Up to €15,000 of free labour and groundwork has already been provided by Fergus Collins Construction.
An eighties disco night in the Roundhill Bar meanwhile raised €23,000.
Nicola is delighted the group was chosen as the main beneficiary of the Christmas Day Swim.
Following a break due to Covid-19 restrictions, the annual Christmas Day Swim starts at 12.30pm in Ballycuggeran.
It is estimated the group currently has a shortfall of about €30,000 to fully complete the MUGA project.
“This is our third fundraising drive. The local community have been great to support all our fundraising. We are hoping that we will not have to go back to the local community again in the near future,” said Nicola.
“This project hasn’t been easy. It has been hard to secure the funding and to piece all the finance elements together.
“It also includes an accessible 1.2 metre walking path around the pitch because the country roads in Boher aren’t safe for walking. It will be the only all multi-use weather pitch on the Ballina side of the bridge.
“Boher has a small population of about 350, but we raised about €50,000 over a 12-month period.
“We would like to work with other facilities in the community and don’t view ourselves as competing with other facilities. We want to work with groups like the Brothers of Charity and Enable Ireland so their clients can use the new facility.
“It has been a great journey for the family, particularly for Julie who loved doing her fundraising cycle. I know when she goes to Boher National School she is involved in integrated play with her friends.
“Other kids like Julie have got great joy from the sensory garden,” she said.
Last October, work started on the new all-weather pitch thanks to voluntary labour. Once work resumes next January, it is hoped that it will be fully completed next February or March.
The field near Boher National School is earmarked for development by Tipperary County Council as a new graveyard for the Ballina area, which includes a large car park.
While part of the group’s project makes provision for seven or eight car parking spaces, it is hoped that subject to council approval, the authority will be willing to make their car parking area available for the MUGA users.
The local parish hall has been developed as a Broadband Connection Point (BCP) by Tipperary County Council following the installation of high speed broadband, which has facilitated Children’s Coding Workshops.
Two coding programmes have been completed in the hall, with plans for more programmes for children in the New Year.
The community group was established in April 2020 with the aim of improving community integration, development and socialisation.
Boher has a church, school and small parish hall, but hadn’t benefited from any significant investment.
There were no social recreational amenities and no inclusive or accessible amenities for people with additional needs such as Julie Collins, who was in Junior Infants in the school.
A hand-made beautiful sensory garden was built at the back of the school by special needs assistant, Dawn Kenny.
However, Nicola recalled this garden wasn’t very accessible and needed regular maintenance.
It was decided to establish a community CLG group with a view to opening up this garden to the whole community.
The group secured LEADER funding of €104,000 from North Tipperary Development Company, in excess of €30,000 from the Tomar Trust.
Nicola’s daughter Julie Collins, who is a wheelchair user, raised €28,000 for the sensory garden from “Julie’s Cycle to School” by cycling on her adapted bike over a five-week intensive fundraising campaign.
Following a “phenomenal” response, Julie exceeded the initial target of raising €3,000 ninefold as thousands of Euro poured in from people who watched videos of her cycling exploits.
Work started on the project during the summer of 2021 and it was completed in December 2021.
The new facility is now opened for almost 12 months with universal access for the entire community.
It includes a new safety surface, inclusive sensory play area, biodiversity garden, a bespoke glass geodome that is used as an outdoor hub.
A new access ramp was constructed from the school to the garden to facilitate wheelchair and other users.
There are seven pieces of equipment in the sensory play area that a wheelchair user or person with a physical disability could use, a sand play section, a water area, trampoline, climbing section and a tunnel for crawling to incorporate all the elements of sensory play.
“We are very proud of our facility. We have a lot of people travelling from Limerick, Thurles and Nenagh and the local community to use it.
“People are happy to find somewhere they can bring their kids that is suitable. A lot of the mainstream playgrounds can be noisy and busy and just don’t have the right type of equipment,” she said.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.