Dunboyne’s €450k playground proving a skate success

Dunboyne's new €450,000 playground and skatepark proved a major hit when it opened on Friday.

The new facility, which caters for toddlers to teenagers, opened on Friday afternoon and queues forming for some time before it opened.

The area had been closed off for the last month or more as work took place on the new amenity.

The state of the art facilities are the result of intensive fund raising by the Dunboyne Playspace Forum and generous sponsorship. The group also received grant aid from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and Meath County Council.

"It has been incredibly busy. Despite the rain, there have been hundreds there every day since," said Cllr Maria Murphy of the Dunboyne Playspace Forum.

"The small children, the teenagers and even the parents are really enjoying it."

The facility includes a new teen zone, where teenagers can get together. It features exercise equipment and a table tennis installation, as well as “sociable swings” that face each other.

The skatepark has also proved extremely popular as has the seating area for adults.

"I saw where a lot of the parent were enjoying coffee and relaxing as the children plays," said Cllr Murphy.

"Parents were also very appreciative of the safety railings that have been installed.

"The teen zone was an instant hit. It is well used and is getting the youngsters active."

The Dunboyne Playspace Forum was formed to actively work on providing the new facility two years ago. “Following a number of conversations it was clear the existing playground wasn't fit for purpose,” said Cllr Murphy. “One end of the skatepark had been removed after an attempt had been made to burn it.”

“We developed a survey to gather views from a wider body of parents which was launched in May 2021. The survey was supported by all the local primary schools and some preschool services.

“We were delighted when a total of 893 people responded to the survey.” Among the issues raised was the lack of facilities for teenagers. The needs for more equipment generally and the need for seating that facilitates groups to sit together were also raised."

Some 68 of respondents said there wasn't enough of variety of equipment, while 63 per cent felt that investment was needed in age-appropriate equipment for older users.

Many expressed a desire for the toddler area to be fenced in with expressions about the lack of safety at the existing playground which opens directly into the car park, without a gate.

The Playspace Forum is now planning a Family Open Day later in September to offiially open the new facility.