Great pride at opening of sensory park

The sun shone down on Ballina on Friday as the community officially opened its new Sensory Park, marking the culmination of more than five years of planning, volunteering and fundraising.

Local community groups, including Ballina Community Clean Up, the FLOW Community Project and Ballina Autism Friendly Town, came together to bring the vision to life.

Designed with inclusivity and accessibility at its heart, the park aims to provide a safe and engaging space for children, families and people with additional sensory needs, while also serving as a community amenity for generations to come. 

The project has been supported by a number of community fundraising efforts, including a Freeze 4 February event in 2021 which saw hundreds of people jumping into the river to raise money.

David O’Malley, Martin Devaney and Dermot Rice from Ballina Community Clean Up, who all helped drive the project, said inclusivity was central to the vision for the space. 

“When you bring your family [here], everyone should be included. You should be able to look after everyone, people without a voice as well. Non-verbal autism was a big part of this. We want to make sure everyone in society can enjoy this space,” David said. 

Having overseen the development over the past few years, David said that before works began, the area was "like a building site", with volunteers "jumping into rivers and everything" to get fundraising efforts off the ground. 

He said seeing the park become what the group had set out to achieve was amazing.

Martin explained that the park had been on the group’s agenda since it was established and said it would be a great addition to Ballina, after what had been “hard work for the past 18 months”.

Dermot thanked all sponsors, donors and volunteers, saying: “It would not have happened without their help and their support. Today is their day.”

Kevin Loftus, one of the architects involved in designing the park, said the design created different spaces to offer visitors a range of sensory experiences. 

“Within the design, there are different spaces that are connected to rooms. Each has its own atmosphere, equipment and colour,” he said. “The park has a mix of different spaces, from quiet and calm to more engaging and diverse to create a variety of experiences.”

“Whether you are neurodivergent or neurotypical, you have different moods and feelings. The design tried to identify these key emotions. If a space is meant to be calming, we used calming planting around it. If it is meant to be engaging, we used vibrant colours and textures,” Kevin explained.

The FLOW Community Project also played a major role in the park’s development.

Ryan Cawley and Pádraig O’Hora co-founded the group in 2018. The pair were at the opening on Friday and said it felt surreal to see the community using a space that has been in the works for over five years.

“Fundamentally, the idea is that it is something that caters for absolutely everybody,” Padraig said. 

He highlighted that the park offers spaces for people who want to relax and chill out, as well as areas for those who want to engage, interact and play. 

“The golden jewel of this whole piece is the water feature, people can come in and interact and play with the water,” he added. “We have done everything we can to make it as inclusive as possible.”

Ballina Autism Friendly Town provided the communication boards, and Ryan explained that a virtual interactive map is also planned to let visitors explore the park ahead of their trip and familiarise themselves with the space.

“What will hit home is this is a park that will last for generations to come and I think when we are driving on the Sligo Road in or out of town, we are going to see people here enjoying it. That is the real win for us,” Ryan added.

Cathaoirleach of Ballina Municipal District, Cllr Annie Maye Reape, described the opening as a “proud and memorable occasion for our community”.

“This exceptional facility is the result of years of dedication, determination, and generosity from so many people who believed in creating an inclusive space for everyone to enjoy. Ballina Sensory Park is not just a playground; it is a welcoming, inclusive space where people of all ages and abilities can play, learn, interact, and enjoy the outdoors,” she said.

Minister Dara Calleary, who performed the ribbon cutting, said the most important message from the opening was that the park was the result of a “Ballina meitheal” coming together.

“Today isn't the end, it is the beginning of a new chapter. A new chapter of inclusivity and of welcome,” Minister Calleary said.

He added that, in his role as Minister, he would continue to support Ballina on that journey wherever possible.

“Today is a celebration, and Ballina can walk 20ft tall because of the creation of this space."

The opening marks another step in Ballina’s journey towards becoming a more inclusive, accessible and neurodiverse-friendly town.