Playful Spaces for All – a collaboration to increase access and playfulness at Our Lady’s Island

Description

Playful Spaces for All is a collaboration with local community to enhance the playfulness of the area across the generations and to ensure age friendly and intergenerational opportunities at Our Lady’s Island through development of playful spaces and triobike supports.

Our Lady’s Island is an ancient place of pilgrimage in the south east corner of Ireland., dating from the Third Crusade, over 800 years ago. Visitors have the opportunity to see the remains of the Augustinian Church of St. Mary or the parish Church (1867) that showcases the work of Pugin and Ashlin. On the renowned sedimentary lagoon, you can spot breeding terns and black-headed gulls. Winter visitors include Whooper Swans, light-bellied Brent Geese, wigeons, gadwall, and more. Rare plants include Cottonweed, Lesser Centaury, Foxtail Stonewort and ‘lagoon specialists’ invertebrates. The area has a community centre, community café and playground in addition to the pilgrimage site.

Supported through a range of Wexford County Council Departments the project aimed to deliver a space that was playful and accessible for all, building on existing resources and collaborating for best outcomes for all.
Wexford Country Council Access section engaged with the Our Lady’s Island Community group following an identified need for more playful spaces for people with intellectual disabilities in the area beyond the existing playground. Collaborating with Healthy Wexford the shared need of more playful spaces and intergeneration play opportunities were discussed and the project partnerships were formed with the community group and the relevant Wexford County Council sections.

A key element of the project was providing more playful spaces that could be accessible to all and more intergenerational. Extension to the playground facilities was planned with two accessible playtables – suitable for chess or other such games and a suite of musical play facilities accessible for both children and adults. These facilities made the location more age friendly, accessible. and intergenerational and encouraged playful spaces for all increasing social connection and engagement.

To further enhance the project and increase the age friendly and accessible nature of the pilgrimage space a triobike was re-located to the area and with both the Access Section and the Walking and Cycling Officer involved in this part of the initiative. This part of the project provided additional access to the pilgrimage site for those with additional needs and older people. Local Community representatives were trained as triobike pilots ensuring a local resource to provide the service.

The development of these spaces are complemented by the existing community centre building and community café, providing further social connection opportunities across the generations. The area is now a more age friendly, accessible and intergenerational space.

Aim of Initiative

To ensure a more playful and accessible space for all and to further enhance and develop on existing local resources through collaboration with the local community.

Who is it aimed at

The collaboration on shared need meant the project met the needs of a number of targets including older people and those with disabilities and provided an intergenerational playful space for all

3 Steps critical to success

1. Based on identified need – the project sought to identify and collaborate on shared needs for the community.
2. 2Collaboration – the engagement across sections within Wexford County Council and with the community group meant the project could have multiple benefits and deliver a space that met multiple targets and shared needs. Shared project knowledge and expertise also enhanced the project.
3. Communication – working together at all stages of the project to ensure all partners needs and funding requirements were being met was critical to the project.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Meeting the needs of different funding streams meant the collaborating partners needed to work together to make sure all funding requirements were met in terms of allowable funding, timelines etc.
2. Availability and timelines for equipment delivery and available contractor proved challenging
3. The innovative nature of the project meant project planning took more time than usual.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Intergenerational and accessible Playful Space available at Our Lady’s Island enhancing the locality for both residents and visitors.
2. The hope is this project will contribute to reduced social isolation and loneliness in the area with a welcoming space suitable and accessible for all.
3. Value for money – meeting the shared needs through a collaborative project increase value for money for the project overall