Eight of Sport Ireland’s Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) are currently working with their respective Local Authorities to bring a new and innovative free equipment sharing solution to parks and communities across five cities in Ireland: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The Active Cities project is focused on getting those who are least active in our society active. In taking a multi-sectoral approach, the project is seeking to reduce the barriers to participation in physical activity, increase access and enhance the choice and opportunities available for all to take part.
Introducing BoxUp to Ireland is a collaborative initiative being developed across the cities as part of this project and aims to expand the opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to lead healthier lifestyles through increased access to free sport and leisure equipment.
Over the past nine months, the eight LSPs have been working with the Swiss-based company, BoxUp, to bring the first lockers to Ireland. There are currently over 60 lockers in operation across Switzerland and France, with many other European Countries expected to come online over the coming months. The lockers, which are solar powered, contain a variety of equipment based on the facilities and amenities in that area, and all equipment can be easily accessed through the use of a free app. Leading on the project, Mary Corry, National Active Cities Officer, said “working collectively to identify practical solutions is a key focus of the project. We know that for some, accessing equipment can be a real barrier to their participation, and with so many facilities, parks and open spaces across our cities, it’s important we try to meet the needs of individuals to enable them to be active.”
As part of a feasibility study, representatives from the National Active Cities working group visited Geneva and Lausanne to see the lockers both in production, and in operation across a number of parks. With over 15,000 users and over 50,000 hours of recorded activity to date, not only can these lockers provide access to equipment, but they will also provide invaluable data on the usage of the equipment in each local area.
In South Dublin, South Dublin County Sports Partnership are working with South Dublin County Council to install a six-locker unit in Dodder Valley Park and Beechfield Park. Darragh Conway, Active Cities Officer with South Dublin Sports Partnership, commented “Box-up increases access to open spaces by providing free physical activity equipment to park users. This innovative project aligns perfectly with Active Cities goal of getting the city more active”.
Brendan Redmond, Public Realm Department in South Dublin County Council said “We are delighted to work closely with Active Cities and South Dublin County Sports Partnership to bring Box-up to South Dublin. Box-up compliments several new and upgraded physical activity installations and projects that have been installed by SDCC”
The lockers will come on stream across the cities over the coming weeks.
