One of the busiest and best equipped playgrounds in the county has received funding of almost €19,000 which will go towards essential maintenance and the provision of additional equipment.

The playground in Tuam, which is located in the Palace Grounds, is used by hundreds of children on a weekly basis.

Local Councillor Karey McHugh said that essential maintenance at every playground was a costly exercise as the safety of the children was paramount.

There was intense anger a couple of years ago when Tuam Playground was the subject of vandalism with graffiti sprayed on some of the equipment while others were damaged.

The playground was closed for a short period as Galway County Council ground staff removed the graffiti and brought the playground back into use.

Five pieces of equipment were damaged as the local Gardai carried out an investigation although no arrests were made in relation to the incident.

Cllr McHugh said that this was an unfortunate thing to happen and particularly as it impacted on young children. “But given the location of the playground in a recreational park, it can be vulnerable to this type of attack,” she said.

But, aside from that, she has welcomed the allocation of €18,887 from the Play and Recreational Capital Grant Scheme as announced by Children’s Minister Norma Foley.

“It will go towards the general upkeep and maintenance of the playground and maybe there might be something left over that could provide some smaller pieces of equipment.

“Equipment for playgrounds is extremely expensive as they must meet very strict safety standards. But this is to be expected in the interest of the children and their parents,” Cllr McHugh added.

The application for the funding was submitted by Galway County Council, who oversee the maintenance of all public playgrounds. The playground in Tuam has been in place for the past 20 years.

The Tuam area councillor said, however, that there was no guarantee of a particular amount of money on an annual basis,

She explained that there is an allocation in the annual budget for all playgrounds in the county, so the Tuam Playground receives proportionate funding from this pot. It can vary from year to year.

Pictured: Cllr Karey McHugh at Tuam Playground.