Playground & Leisure Area

An accessible space for Crann families to enjoy together.

The Accessible Playground & Leisure Area is for use by children, adults and families with neuro-physical disabilities who are registered clients of Crann, their families and invited guests.

Bookable Dates

During the school term, opening hours for the Playground & Leisure are:

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

3pm – 5pm

Saturday & Sunday

12noon – 4pm

Arrange a Booking

All visitors must complete an online booking prior to attending. We cannot facilitate children, adults or families who have not pre-booked.

Request a Booking

For details on how to register as a client please contact Joellen Owers on jowers@cranncentre.ie or 021 428 9267. You will find more information about our services and who we support at this link.

Upcoming Workshops at the Playground & Leisure Area

04Nov

Youth Social Club

6:30 pm - 8:30 pmPlayground & Leisure Area

The Playground & Leisure Area at Crann has been designed by and for Crann’s client families and friends.

It’s all about speed, movement, imagination and risky play in a fully wheelchair-accessible environment.

It features a range of experiences for all ages and abilities, along with ample accessible parking and toilets on-site.

Make the most of your trip to the Accessible Playground & Leisure Area at Crann by reading the short guide at the link below.

Read the Guide

A Blueprint for the Future Playgrounds

Are you considering accessible options for a community recreation space? If you have questions about the design process or equipment featured in our accessible playground & leisure area, we’d love to share our experiences with you. Contact Crann’s Head of Services, Colette Cahill on ccahill@cranncentre.ie for more info.

Support this Space!

This project is costing 500,000. Thanks to generous support from donors and corporate supporters, over €400,000 has been raised to date, but we need your support to help us reach €500,000.

Evelyn Power will be delighted to discuss how your business or corporate teams can make a donation or volunteer your time. You will be helping to open up a world of accessible play for children, adults and families with neuro-physical disabilities.

Contact Evelyn on 085 880 4679 or email epower@cranncentre.ie.

Email Evelyn Power about Corporate Partnerships

A child dressed as a pirate is journeying to where X marks the spot. As the fundraise increases, more inclusive play equipment becomes apparent. The fundraising monitor is marked at €300,000

Facilities On-Site

Parking

There is ample accessible parking in close proximity to the playground & leisure area.

Dining

Picnic benches throughout facilitate 1-2 wheelchairs as well we traditional benches. Litter bins are present for waste disposal.

Toilets

Accessible toilets are available in Crann's facility. Hoists are available for use by a personal assistant/parents on request.

Kate, a motorised wheelchair user in a blue dress and white cardigan, wheels down the incline on the uneven platform

The Need... for Speed!

The playground enables children and adults to experience the thrill of speed in a fun safe environment.

Thrilling Heights

There is an exhilaration that comes from reaching the top.

The chance to play at height was one of the biggest requests from the children who took part in our research. This giant hand-built accessible pirate ship makes sure they can do that here. It features a wide deck, so that pirates of all ages and abilities can travel the high seas together!

Susie, a young wheelchair user, bounces on the trampoline in her wheelchair with her dad

Up in the Air

On the wheelchair-accessible trampoline, you can experience the thrill of weightlessness as you spring into the air with a friend or family member. It has been designed so that wheelchair users can reverse out of the trampoline with the help of a friend or family member.

Sisters swing on swings, one on the right using her wheelchair on the wheelchair accessible swing, and one in the bucket swing to the left

Playing Together

Togetherness is at the heart of this space. That’s why the wheelchair-accessible swing is right next to a bucket swing and a traditional swing so that friends and families can swing side-by-side

Andy, an adult motorised wheelchair user in a blue jumper sits next to David, an adult manual wheelchair user, who is pulling down the arm press of the outdoor gym

Working Out

Exercise is key to healthy living. Clients felt there weren’t options for them when it came to working out so including a gym was important to us. Traditional gyms can be inaccessible by wheelchair or be cramped and difficult to manoeuvre around.

The gym is an open space for free exercise and ease of movement and includes an adjustable arm bike that can be used in your own wheelchair and an adjustable row and press machine for strength training.

The sensory garden features red brick surface with a yellow path through it, a wooded shelter, traditional bench and wheelchair accessible picnic table with two water features and plants around the edge

The Sanctuary

This is a space for quiet relaxation with gentle sensory engagement

In a quiet corner of the playground, this walled garden will be filled with edible plants, vibrant fragrances and the sound of gentle water features for those who want to take a step back from the excitement of the main play area.

It will be a space of reflection and calm.

Dream, Design, Deliver!

Alice Moore stands in front of the accessible play pirate ship at Crann. She has short red hair and black glasses and wears a long black jacket with colourful flowers

When Alice Moore, PhD Candidate at UCC School of Occupational Therapy, began research into designing this space, it was obvious that families’ needs would direct it. She describes how this can be a blueprint for future inclusive playgrounds.

Alice Moore and Dr. Helen Lynch won the Ann Beckett Award for demonstrating the core principles of Occupational Therapy in practice for their work on our Accessible Playground & Leisure Area.