The Play Packs loan scheme has now launched at Lismore Library, in partnership with Waterford Sports Partnership and Healthy Waterford.
The scheme is designed to foster creativity, learning, and fun for young children in the community, containing a variety of engaging toys, games and sporting equipment suitable for children of various ages. From toys and building blocks to puzzles and imaginative play sets, these packs are designed to spark curiosity and encourage play.
Launched this week, the event was attended by local councillors, library staff, Waterford Sports Partnership’s Active Cities Officer Lauren Walsh Kett, and Eoin Morrissey from Healthy Waterford, who have been delivering the Playful Communities (Streets) programme over the last number of years.
The launch of Lismore Library’s Play Packs was met with resounding enthusiasm from elected members in the community.
Cllr. John Pratt praised the initiative as a testament to the library’s dedication to young residents, highlighting the invaluable learning opportunities through play, while Cllr. Donnchadh Mulcahy emphasised the packs’ role in fostering inclusivity and essential skill development, commending the library staff’s dedication.
Cllr. Niamh O’Donovan expressed her delight at the new resource, recognising its potential to provide more opportunities for families and organisations in the area to arrange community play days.
PACKS SET TO ‘INSPIRE AND ENGAGE’
Debbie Johnston and Alan Butler explained the inspiration behind the Play Packs and their hopes for the initiative.
“This adds to our library’s offerings to the community. We have seen the popularity of the Playful Communities project over the years and wanted to enable libraries to become a service to offer these packs to the community for loan,” Debbie Johnston said.
Alan Butler added, “In consultation with Waterford Sports Partnership and Healthy Waterford, we carefully selected the items in each Play Pack to ensure they are age-appropriate and aligned with early childhood development principles. Our goal is to provide resources that encourage creativity, problem-solving and social interaction. We are excited to see how these packs will inspire and engage the children of Lismore and West Waterford.”
This initiative also builds upon the valuable work of the Playful Streets and Communities programme run by Waterford Sports Partnership and Waterford City and County Council over the last number of years, in which over 80 individual communities throughout the city and county participated.
The Play Packs will be available for borrowing by library members or local community groups. For further information, contact Lauren Walsh Kett at lwalshkett@waterfordsportspartnership.ie or Eoin Morrissey at eoinmorrissey@waterforcouncil.ie.
