Solitude Park gets an added £28,000 boost

SOLITUDE Park could be in line for further enhancement after Banbridge District Council secured almost £28,000 in funding to build a 'play and leisure facility' within the newly refurbished park.

The council was awarded almost 20 per cent of the funding available in Northern Ireland under a government-funded programme aiming to improve play and leisure facilities across the country.

Although it is thought the new facility will take the form of a dedicated youth area for teens aged 13 to 18, a consultation process is expected to take place this month.

A spokesperson for the council said, “It is not known at this stage if the consultation will be a one-off event or take place over a number of weeks but it is hoped it will take place this month.”

Youth groups and schoolchildren across the district will be asked for their views as to how the money will be spent in the park, after an initial consultation which involved children from the Rhythm project at the Leisure Centre.

The council spokesperson said there has been much interest in the consultation from local children, including the possibility of creating a “Youth Dance Zone”.

She said, “At our Let’s Talk event towards the end of last year we got a number of names of people who are interested to give their views on how this project will develop in the coming year.”

Solitude Park was officially opened in September last year after its 1.75 million refurbishment.

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