Would you like your neighbourhood to be a more Playful Place for adults and children as well as engage with your local authority?

Following on from the successful roll out of the pilot project in 2023 Healthy Waterford and Waterford Sports Partnership/Active Cities along with key stakeholders including Waterford City and County Council, Ready Steady Play, Sláintecare Healthy Communities, Waterford Libraries, Waterford PPN, Community Safety Partnership and CYPSC are teaming up to identify new areas interested in running a Playful Streets event in 2024.

HELP US HELP YOU MAKE YOUR STEEET A PLAYFUL STREET!

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE

For further information contact Eoin Morrissey on 087-2181709 or Lauren Walsh Kett on 087-1178578

Listen to our Active Cities Officer Lauren chatting to Beat about the new BoxUp Lockers in the People’s Park!

Active Cities project brings free equipment sharing solution to Waterford City

Waterford Sports Partnership is delighted to bring a new and innovative free equipment sharing solution to the People’s Park in Waterford City. The BoxUp locker, which was funded through the Dormant Accounts Active Cities Fund via Sport Ireland, was officially launched by the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Joe Conway, on Saturday 23^rd September and is now freely available for the public to use.

Introducing BoxUp to the People’s Park could not have happened without the valuable support of Waterford City & County Council staff in the installation of this 6-locker unit which compliments a number of new physical activity installations introduced in the People’s Park by Waterford City & County Council and Waterford Sports Partnership in recent months.

Over the past year, the eight Local Sports Partnerships within the Active Cities Network across Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway have been working with the Swiss-based company, BoxUp, to bring the first lockers to Ireland. The locker, which is solar powered, contains a variety of equipment based on the facilities and amenities in the People’s Park.  The equipment includes a skateboard and helmet, balance bike and helmet, basketballs, frisbees, table tennis equipment and boules equipment. All equipment can be easily accessed through the use of a free app.  Just download the free app BoxUp and create an account using photo ID to access the equipment!

The Active Cities project is focused on getting those who are least active in our society, active. In taking a multi-sectoral approach, the project seeks to reduce the barriers to participation in physical activity, increase access and enhance the choice and opportunities available for all to be active.

The Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. Joe Conway, said ‘I am delighted to launch the BoxUp unit here today.  It’s a wonderful addition to the People’s Park.  It will help to make sport and activity accessible to all and will help to activate the many quality installations in the park including the skatepark, basketball court, pétanque court, table tennis table and of course offer children the opportunity to use a balance bike on the safe pathways throughout the park. Well done to everyone involved.’

Sport Ireland Director of Participation, Louise Burke said, “Sport Ireland is delighted to see the launch of BoxUp in Waterford today. The Active Cities project is funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund, which aims to engage communities across the country by supporting those who are educationally, socially, or economically disadvantaged or those who have a disability to become more active. It’s great to see this new innovative solution for the public that is free which aims to reduce the barriers to participation in physical activity, increase access and enhance the choice and opportunities available for all to take part“.

Mary Corry, National Active Cities Officer said “with lockers already installed in both Dublin and Cork, it’s great to see this national collaboration come to life in Waterford. The introduction of BoxUp through the Active Cities project is an important development as we look to reduce barriers and meet the needs of individuals at a local level. I would encourage all residents or visitors to the area, to download the free BoxUp app and using photo ID, create their account, so that they can enjoy using this free equipment in the People’s Park“.

Rosarie Kealy, Sport Co-ordinator with Waterford Sports Partnership, commented; ‘We are delighted to bring BoxUp to Waterford and we would like to acknowledge the huge support from Waterford City & County Council especially the Parks team, who worked with us throughout the planning and installation process. This represents a significant opportunity to provide people with additional resources to get active in one of our city parks and to make the best use of the equipment and sports infrastructure already available in the park. We look forward to seeing the locker being utilised by all ages and abilities in the city’.

For more information on the Active Cities project please our Active Cities Officer, Lauren Walsh-Kett on 087 1178578
or email lwalshkett@waterfordsportspartnership.ie

Our new BoxUp unit will be installed this September in Peoples Park (by De La Salle entrance). Download the BoxUp App now so you can access this equipment loan service for FREE. See ‘how to’ video below. Please note you will need a form of I.D to register on the app. This is a free app and no debit/credit card details are needed, just download the app, input your email address, scan your I.D and you are good to go! BoxUp will be officially launched Saturday 23rd September in Peoples Park before our #BeActive Night Event from 4:30pm so come along and join in on the fun!

Mary chats about the Active Cities Project and introducing BoxUp to Ireland!

https://www.rte.ie/radio/2fm/clips/22293045/

For more information please contact our Active Cities Officer,
Lauren Walsh -Kett on 087 117 8578
or email  lwalshkett@waterfordsportspartnership.ie

Active Cities project brings free equipment sharing solution to 5 Irish Cities

Eight of Sport Ireland’s Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) are currently working with their respective Local Authorities to bring a new and innovative free equipment sharing solution to parks and communities across 5 cities in Ireland: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

The Active Cities project is focused on getting those who are least active in our society active. In taking a multi-sectoral approach, the project is seeking to reduce the barriers to participation in physical activity, increase access and enhance the choice and opportunities available for all to take part.

Introducing BoxUp to Ireland is a collaborative initiative being developed across the cities as part of this project and aims to expand the opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to lead healthier lifestyles through increased access to free sport and leisure equipment.

Over the past nine months, the 8 LSPs have been working with the Swiss-based company, BoxUp, to bring the first lockers to Ireland. There are currently over 60 lockers in operation across Switzerland and France, with many other European Countries expected to come online over the coming months. The lockers, which are solar powered, contain a variety of equipment based on the facilities and amenities in that area, and all equipment can be easily accessed through the use of a free app.

Leading on the project, Mary Corry, National Active Cities Officer, said “working collectively to identify practical solutions is a key focus of the project. We know that for some, accessing equipment can be a real barrier to their participation, and with so many facilities, parks and open spaces across our cities, it’s important we try to meet the needs of individuals to enable them to be active.

As part of a feasibility study, representatives from the National Active Cities working group, visited Geneva and Lausanne to see the lockers both in production, and in operation across a number of parks. With over 15,000 users and over 50,000 hours of recorded activity to date, not only can these lockers provide access to equipment, but they will also provide invaluable data on the usage of the equipment in each local area.

In Waterford, Waterford Sports Partnership is working with Waterford City & County Council to install a 6-locker unit in the People’s Park to compliment a number of new physical activity installations and projects introduced over the last few months.

Rosarie Kealy, Sport Co-ordinator with Waterford Sports Partnership, commented; ‘We are delighted to be working closely with Waterford City & County Council to bring BoxUp to Waterford. This represents a significant opportunity to provide people with additional resources to get active in one of our city parks and we look forward to seeing the locker being utilised by all ages and abilities in the city’.

Seán Gormley, Acting Senior Executive Engineer, from Waterford City and Council said ‘ We are very happy to support this addition to the infrastructure in the People’s Park which will enhance the opportunity for recreational activity in the park. This is part of the continued partnership between Waterford City & County Council and Waterford Sports Partnership and all these additions are very positive and have been well received by the public that are using the People’s Park on a daily basis’.

The lockers, which are being funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund via Sport Ireland, will come on stream across the cities over the coming weeks!