It’s a welcome bit of fun after a rough 12 months.

This week, more than 4,500 older people in Cork will receive a delivery of a Senior Play Pack containing a number of items designed to add some joy to the long days in isolation.

The play packs, which include a range of games, activities, and hobbies including playing cards, a bird feeder and seeds as well as helpful information on support services, were developed as part of a joint initiative from Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Cork Healthy Cities, Cork Sports Partnership and Cork Age-Friendly City after consulting with older adults.

This new initiative, which is part of the URBACT Playful Paradigm project, seeks to provide enjoyment and fun to those in our communities who have been minimising their social contacts for the duration of the pandemic.

“We hope that the packs have brought smiles to the recipients and reminded them that their communities and supporting agencies are thinking of them especially during these challenging days,” said Catherina Lane, Sports Facilitator from Cork Sports Partnership.

“As our project team often say, ‘we don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!’