Playground a ‘vital’ addition to the Gurteen community
Councillor Paul Taylor says the new playground set to open later this month will help to grow the village of Gurteen and areas such as Culfadda and Monasteraden.
A new playground is set to open at the Community Park on September 24 th.
This, Cllr. Taylor says, will be a big addition to the community, while also serving other surrounding areas.
“Work on this started maybe two years ago. We worked on putting committees together and under the Gurteen Games Company we set up a playground group.
“So we started fundraising then, and a lot of hard work was put in but there is a great group there working to get the playground open,” he told The Sligo Champion.
A huge amount of time and effort was put into this project by a number of volunteers, and Cllr. Taylor says this will be a brilliant addition for the children of the area.
“People were very generous when we were fundraising. People decided they wanted a playground for children and we’re getting it now. You’re looking at not just Gurteen but Culfadda and Monasteraden too. So you’re taking in a huge area with a lot of young families.
“This was a target of mine when I was elected, to deliver a playground to the area.”
Younger children, from the ages of 6-8, will benefit from this new facility.
“We have the community park, and the astro which are excellent facilities. But for children aged perhaps 6-8 there may not have been many facilities, families would have been going to Cloonloo,” he added.
Taylor promises that he has future plans for not just Gurteen, but the wider community.
“I have a lot of future plans for Gurteen and the surrounding areas. Anything for young kids makes a place more attractive for young families and young couples. We are hopeful that this can help to grow Gurteen.
“Without the help of Sligo Leader, Local Community Development Company and the various others, this would not have been possible.
“We only had to raise the match of the funds, we got a grant so we are really pleased,” he said.