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Paralympic hero opens London 2012 inspired playground at NI primary School

29 Nov 2013

Paralympic double Gold medallist Michael McKillop has opened a new playground at Holy Family PS in Omagh, which contains part of the London 2012 Olympic Park.

Colourful matting laid by Lagan Construction Group when it built the £18 million Central Park Bridge close to the Olympic Stadium was re-laid in the school after it won an exciting competition run by Lagan Construction Group, in conjunction with Sport Northern Ireland.

The local firm was made responsible for removal of the colourful rubber matting to ensure its use after the Games. As part of their Olympic Legacy programme, Lagan Construction Group ran a schools competition with Sport Northern Ireland, to create a London 2012 inspired school playground.

Sport Northern Ireland Activ8 schools were asked to show how the Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy lives on. The winner, Holy Family PS inspired judges with a video of how teachers and pupils continue to follow the Olympic and Paralympic values, the Holy Family Primary School in Omagh was crowed winner and clinched the top prize, which Lagan Construction Group installed.

Killard House School in Donaghadee was awarded second prize, a £2,500 donation towards sports equipment at their school. St Anne’s Primary School at Kingsway in Belfast was placed third and was presented with £1,000 towards sports equipment. Both schools also received a framed photo of the Central Park Bridge.

“Lagan Construction Group is delighted to bring back a piece of London 2012 to the Holy Family Primary School in Omagh. We would like to thank all the primary schools who submitted their entries to this competition. We hope that the three schools will make good use of the prizes, encouraging all children to take part in sporting activities.”
Colin Loughran, Chief Executive of Lagan Construction Group
“The school community at Holy Family Primary School is privileged to have a piece of Olympic and Paralympic history in our school. There is great excitement among our pupils, who have fully embraced the values of London 2012 and we are confident that this beautiful rubber matting will inspire future sporting champions. Our sincere thanks go to Ms. Donna McSorley and our fabulous Yr.4 pupils for their video entry and the team at Lagan Construction Group, Sport NI and especially the inspirational Michael McKillop, who have made this a truly memorable and historic occasion.”
Maura Dolan, Principal of Holy Family Primary School in Omagh
“It is a privilege to open the playground at Holy Family PS today in my role as Sport Northern Ireland Sporting Ambassador. I’m very proud to have taken part in London 2012 and it is great to see the Olympic and Paralympic legacy live on in our schools. I hope this new playground will inspire the pupils to continue to take part in sport!”
Michael McKillop, Sport Northern Ireland Sporting Ambassador and London 2012 gold medallist
“I am delighted to see the opening of the new playground at Holy Family PS. To have a visit from Sport Northern Ireland’s Sporting Ambassador Michael McKillop is yet another inspiration for both teachers and pupils! This playground is a great incentive for pupils to keep active and take part in sport.”
Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive of Sport Northern Ireland
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