Get to know the neighbours with a super family fun day
By Mary Dennehy
THE community of Russell Square staged its second annual family fun day recently, an event which fosters social inclusion, friendship and fun within the Tallaght estate.
Russell Square, which is made up of more than 450 houses, is a vibrant and active community which in recent years has seen residents uniting to enhance their area.
Melissa, Freya and Kyra at the Russell Square annual family fun day
There is also a strong focus on neighbours getting to know each other, with the family fun day at the core of building friendships between residents of all ages.
Speaking with The Echo, Jennifer Wickham, a member of the residents’ committee, said: “This year’s family fun day was a real success, the kids had a ball and we’ve had great feedback from the parents.
“The day helps to create social inclusion, parents meet parents and kids meet kids, and it helps to get people involved – especially the younger residents.
“It also helps the kids get to know [the residents’ committee] and encourages them to get involved in other events like clean-ups. . . it helps to show them that there are things to do in their estate.”
She added: “Since we held our first family fun day last year, we’ve had more people coming out and wanting to see their estate clean.
“We also have a group of residents who grab a coffee and just stroll around the estate in the evenings to make sure the estate is safe and that everybody is okay.”
On Saturday, July 28, residents came out in force to enjoy the family fun day, which boasted football, a disco dome, bouncy castle, obstacle course, ice-cream, goody bags, popcorn machine, games for all ages and a special visit from Tallaght Fire Station.
The family fun was made all the sweeter after residents carried out a massive clean-up of the area the weekend before.
The residents wished to thank Tallaght Fire Station for visiting the family fun day and South Dublin County Council for providing funding for both the fun day and the community clean-up.
Thanks have also been issued to Sophia Housing and Cluid Housing.
