Write a commentOver a week ago excited children crowded into Newry Library on a Saturday morning to participate in a competition to design a people's park for Newry in Minecraft. This weekend the winner will be picked at an event in the Library.
The event was organised by Newry 2020, a grassroots initiative to make Newry a better place to live and visit. Over the next two weeks six teams from across the area will compete to design a virtual city park based on the Albert Basin site. The teams will some together again on the 21st to present their vision for a green space, and prizes will be awarded for the best designs.
Brian Cleland, speaking on behalf of Newry 2020, said: "There was an amazing level of enthusiasm among the children for this competition. The idea of using Minecraft to design their ideal city park is obviously really exciting to them. From our point of view it's about giving the younger generation a say in how the city is developed. Frankly, we've been blown away by the response we've received to this idea, and we hope to run more events like this in future."
Newry 2020's campaign for a city park has already gained almost 2,500 signatures, as well as the support of many local groups and organisations. The petition can be accessed at http://newry2020.com/petition
