
Bray seafront playground will be inclusive and accessible for children with disabilities after funding approval from the Department of Children and Disability.
Green Party Councillor and Cathoirleach of Bray Municipal District Cllr Erika Doyle has announced that Bray seafront playground will be inclusive and accessible for children with disabilities after a funding approval from the Department of Children and Disability.
Last year, Cllr Doyle secured €10,000 from the annual budget towards the works. Last week, this was topped up by funding approval following a successful allocation for a ‘Play and Recreation Capital Grant’.
“I’m delighted that this grant application that I worked on with the team at Bray Municipal District council was successful and we have been granted the full amount of €17,000 added to the funding I secured from our budget last year, this means we can start making plans for the redesign.
“Playgrounds are so important for children and young people’s development, and have an important social aspect for parents, who can often feel isolated in parenthood. There really is no reason for any playground not to be inclusive, and steps should be taken to retrofit any existing playgrounds that do not include equipment for children with disabilities. I recently submitted a motion to Wicklow County council stating that we create a policy to ensure that all playgrounds are made inclusive at design stage, and existing ones are retrofitted where possible.
No child should be left out of any facilities that can be used by their friends and siblings simply because they have a disability. “This is a fantastic first step – addressing the dearth of inclusive equipment in the biggest and most popular playground in our district.