Close to 100 kids were first to play on Surrey’s largest accessible playground on Tuesday (Oct. 8).
An event at Unwin Park in Newton celebrated the opening of a new playground funded by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, as part of its “Play Finds A Way” initiative.
The 12,000-square-foot playground, which sits atop a giant Canadian Tire logo, is designed to offer an accessible play space for kids of all abilities to play together.
Valued at around $1 million, the structure is a gift to Surrey from Jumpstart as part of a five-year, $50-million fundraising commitment from the automotive retailer.
• RELATED STORY, from April 2019: Accessible playground coming to Surrey park.
Did you know @CityOfSurrey is the SIXTH province to receive an inclusive #JumpstartPlayground as part of our #InclusivePlayProject? We are working to have one in each province by 2022! Learn more at https://t.co/ZvjWyth5GM pic.twitter.com/G6OLrxvxhK
— Jumpstart (@CTJumpstart) October 8, 2019
The sixth Jumpstart playground built in Canada, it features double-wide ramps, seamless rubber surfacing, a quiet play space, a wheelchair-accessible We-Go-Round, a Friendship Swing, a roller slide, and more.
Scott Fraser, president of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, and Stephanie Dixon, a multi-medalist Paralympic swimmer, are among those who attended Tuesday’s launch event.
Fraser said the gathering was about celebrating “the learning and growth opportunities” the playground is designed to foster for kids of all abilities in Surrey.
“By playing, whether through organized sport or with friends on a playground, kids are given the opportunity to develop valuable life skills such as confidence, courage and teamwork,” he said in a release.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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