President opens €1.6m sports centre

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese officially opened a €1.65 million sports facility in Cork yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of Scoil Bernadette special school.

The school, on the grounds of the Cope foundation in Montenotte, caters to students with mild general learning difficulties.

The facilities, which have been built through lottery funding, Government funding and fundraising by Cope, boasts a floodlit synthetic soccer pitch, tennis and basketball courts, a golf-skills practice facility, table-tennis tables and a 200 metre running/cycling and wheelchair track.

The facilities are available not just to the school and service users, but to wider clubs and societies.

Mrs McAleese said: “It is a credit to the modern Ireland and to Cope that it can have the ambition to get this whole facility organised, know to tap on the Government door to get the money needed.

“The great thing is that it is available to the school and to the wider community.”

She said thanks to the facilities now available many could follow in the footsteps of Scoil Bernadette pupil Margaret Walshe, a gymnast, who last year won double gold at the Special Olympics in China.

Mrs McAleese also paid tribute to the families and teachers who enabled the pupils to become ambassadors for Ireland.

Mrs McAleese also acknowledged the academic achievements of the school where pupils are enabled to reach their potential though the provision of academic, social, personal and general life-skills programmes.

Also yesterday the President officially opened Árd na Rí residential complex in Farranree.

The 38-unit development has been designed for older property owners or council tenants, whose properties can be either sold or handed back to Cork City Council in exchange for one of the apartments.

Currently, 18 of the 38 units are occupied, while the day-care centre serves older people in the wider community as a whole.