Mayor Devenney opensnew Maydown park

He congratulated all those involved in the planning, design and funding of the new state of the art play facility as part of Council’s wider Parks Development Programme.

The Mayor said he was delighted to officially open this much needed facility in Maydown, which represents an investment of some £237,000 for the community.

He thanked the Maydown Community Association for their enthusiasm and commitment in championing the delivery of this new facility and acknowledged the support of the many funders.

Martin McCartney, Chair of the Maydown Community Association (MCA) stated: “I wish to extend my sincere thanks to our supporters, namely, Greencare Northwest, The Big Lottery, DCC Parks Development Budget, BBC Children in Need, Ulster Garden Villages, PSNI, ESB Coolkeeragh, Maydown Precision Engineering and the other contributions received for local businesses.”

Mr McCartney also expressed his delight with the finished product and acknowledged the hard work of the MCA Committee supported by local residents who over the past four years have worked very hard to deliver this project.

Maydown Community Association secured capital funding and technical assistance from the Greencare Project, a partnership between Aughrim Landfill Ltd, Derry City Council, NIHE and Groundwork (NI).

Karen Kirkegaard, Landscape Architect from Groundwork said: “I worked closely with the Maydown Residents Association on the concept design following extensive consultation undertaken by Groundwork.

“Sketch plans and planning permission was secured for this innovative project. It is brilliant to see the local children making use of the facility.

“Maydown Community Association, in particular Martin McCartney and Christine Thompson are to be acknowledged for their determination and hard work.”

Terry Burns, National Officer, BBC Children in Need stated: “BBC Children in Need is delighted that the grant to Maydown Community Association has enabled them to complete the play park and provide somewhere for the children to play safely.

“We hope they enjoy the play equipment purchased by the grant and spend many happy hours outside, having fun and making friends. The park will not only provide a play area for the children but somewhere that the whole community can enjoy.”

Maydown Community Association was awarded a grant of £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s People’s Millions Programme to run the Regeneration of Maydown Park which has helped transform a rundown playground into a vital, community space for people of all ages.

Frank Hewitt, the Big Lottery Fund’s NI Chair said: “The People’s Millions is a fantastic opportunity for lottery players to have a direct say in where their lottery pound is spent.

“The Big Lottery Fund wants to make a real difference to local communities by helping to breathe new life into their environment and Maydown Community Association’s Play Park is a perfect example of this. I am looking forward to seeing more wonderful ideas this year to improve local communities.”