Celbridge
Amenity Group
The
Celbridge Amenity Group was formed several years ago when there was a lot of
discussion in the county and country about developing playgrounds in
communities around Ireland. There were some communities who already had
playgrounds, Dublin 6, Lucan,
Dunlaoire, etc.But some also did not including Lexlip,Celbridge and Maynooth.
They met to help the Kildare County Council
Parks and Recreation Department. The Kildare County Council wanted local advice from residents of each
community regarding detailed location and features of a new playground (fencing, equipment, access, lighting,
etc).The group would meet in local pubs for their discussions, but would not
drink alcohol at these meetings!
They would advertise in the local
newspapers, that they wanted people to join in forming a committee.
They would meet once per fortnight, and elected
officers to serve as chairperson, and secretary.
They had a
team of about 8 people which included:
· Pat Byrne (from Pat Byrne Family
Butchers),
· Bill Eiffe, from Insight Theatre
Company
· Sharon MacDonogh, Eircom
· Roger Murphy, Celbridge Town Football
Club
Some of these were interested in a playground and
others where interested in a new community theatre facility.
The group contacted the
Geography Department of NUIM , who designed and conducted a student
–run door-to-door survey to ask local residents what they wanted for the
community
They did not have or need money. The Kildare County
Council had a budget for building the playground, which covered it.
They kept
meeting and stayed together as the Celbridge Amenity Group until the playground
was built even though they didn’t just help Celbridge but other communities
too. The playground was built on the Kildare County Council open green area
near Aghards School and is still there today.
Then they stopped meeting and went back to
their normal lives.
A spokesman for the group said he could
imagine reforming if the Kildare County Council or someone wanted to build a
new playground or new amenity in the council.Contact Details for one of the members:
Vic Murphy Tel:016270783/0878197031
Email:vmurphy@hp.com
Thanks Alisha.
