A MUCH-NEEDED play facility has opened in Bagenalstown, offering children a wonderful place to enjoy and have fun.

A new sensory garden was opened at Fairgreen recently, featuring specialised equipment designed specifically for children with additional needs.

The beautiful playground was the result of lots of hard work behind the scenes to bring it to fruition and was provided at a cost of €10,000 by Carlow County Council.

“My son John … his son Jack, my grandson, has autism, so it was something I was aware of and knew, also from speaking to other parents of children with special needs in the town and surrounding areas,” said cllr Andy Gladney.

“When we got the autism-friendly car parking at Connolly’s SuperValu, we started working on a sensory garden and area engineer Gerry Crowley and Barry Dowling from the council worked on it, along with director of finance Pat Delaney.

“I want to thank Carlow County Council and Pat Delaney for coming up with the funding. The parents are delighted with the park and it’s great for the children, a lot of time and effort went into it,” added cllr Gladney.

The sensory garden was official opened last week by parents and children, who enjoyed a terrific evening in the sunshine, playing, having fun and enjoying ice-cream!