By Lesley Walsh
THE pupils of Killard House School in Donaghadee have been given the green light to clamour aboard their brand new playground which was unveiled this week thanks to a generous donation by rugby charity, Wooden Spoon.
The youngsters at the Cannyreagh Road school have a new castle, themed sheds and a climbing ramp to play on courtesy of a £13,000 grant from the UK and Ireland charity which funds life-changing projects for children with special needs.
Former Ireland rugby international Keith Crossan, performed the official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for the new facility which was assisted by a £1,000 grant from Tesco Stronger Starts initiative, and contributions from the local community.
Wooden Spoon has been supporting children with disabilities since 1984, or those who face disadvantage, and annually funds around 70 projects, from community programmes and specialist playgrounds to medical treatment centres and sensory rooms.
The rugby international, whose heyday during the 1980s made him a famous name for local rugby fans, cut the ribbon of the new playground which was spearheaded by the school’s teaching staff.
Staff, parents and even a local farmer all pitched in to help install the playground, creating the first fully inclusive outdoor play space for pupils with severe learning needs, autism and sensory challenges.
Principal Claire Kerr said they were delighted to see the vision come to life.
“For our pupils, purposeful play is not an ‘extra’— it is essential for their learning, communication and emotional development,” she said.
“Thanks to Wooden Spoon, we now have spaces that nurture social interaction, independence and joy in play every single day.”
Paying tribute to project lead, Drew McKeown, and teacher, Michelle Caughey who made the dream of the new playground a reality, she said after months of ’blood, sweat and tears’ the finished product was something to be very proud of.
She said: “Everything we do at Killard is about the children and optimising their potential, giving them a rich, meaningful and relevant experience to individuals with a range of complex needs.”
The principal continued that the playground, constructed within the building which was formerly Donaghadee High School, ‘makes our environment work for them’ and follows a ‘lot of time and thought and effort’ from the teaching staff.
“We work with the Education Authority but they don’t have a bottomless pit of money and we couldn’t have done this without Wooden Spoon,” she said.
Mr Crossan said he was delighted to perform in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, and added: “It is brilliant to see the results of the Wooden Spoon funding and the enjoyment the children get from it.”
Noticing the school’s motto, ’Together, We Can’, the Ulster Wooden Spoon vice-president said it was a phrase aptly embraced by the rugby world and the Wooden Spoon charity ‘because they’re all team efforts’ to achieve success.
The chair of the Ulster branch of Wooden Spoon, Peter Wood, paid tribute to the dedication of the staff to the school’s children, stating he was ‘in complete awe when I see what you all do, and to see how enjoyable it is for the children to come to school’.
Singling out the work of Mr McKeown, he said he had done an excellent job in leading the project, adding ‘your execution of this has been world class’.
