Children across Craigavon create Christmas wishes for The People’s Park.
Under the SPACE Programme, Craigavon Borough Council and The Peace Builders’ Collaborative delivered a series of two-hour workshops, touring around Primary schools across the borough to have local school children Make a Wish for the new Portadown Peoples Park.
Throughout the programme, approximately 300 pupils learnt more about the regeneration of Portadown People’s Park, the excitement it brings to their Community and how they can each play a role in making everyone feel welcome in the People’s Park. Drama games and activities allowed them to imaginatively bring the new park to life and anticipate their hopeful future involvement in the events and activities within Portadown People’s Park that is due to reopen in Spring 2015.
Working together, the children explored issues of bullying and anti-social behavior, understanding that their actions have a lasting impact on those around them and each responding to play their ‘Part of the People’s Park’ by wanting to interact in a friendly way.
Within the arts element of this workshop, children across primary 4 -7 decided on their individual wish for the new People’s Park. These wonderful wishes ranged from “A party in the park to taste food from every country in the world” to “A shelter to keep people dry in the rain” and “Make new friends in the park.”
These wishes were written on a red ribbon, attached to a beautiful glittering bauble, which each child carefully made for display on the unique People’s Park Christmas Wishing Tree. This formed part of a very special celebration on Portadown Town Centre on Saturday 6th December and was then on display in public areas such as High Street Mall Portadown and The Meadows Shopping Centre.