₹6-crore community park opens in Kochi's Kuruppampady, offers free access to all
A new, free-to-use community park named Happiness Park in Kuruppampady offers sports and leisure facilities, including football and basketball courts, a jogging track, and a children's play area, promoting well-being.
A new, free-to-use community park named Happiness Park in Kuruppampady offers sports and leisure facilities, including football and basketball courts, a jogging track, and a children's play area, promoting well-being.
A new, free-to-use community park named Happiness Park in Kuruppampady offers sports and leisure facilities, including football and basketball courts, a jogging track, and a children's play area, promoting well-being.
Kuruppampady: For residents of Kuruppampady, recreation no longer comes at a cost. A newly opened community park at Para near here is offering a range of sports and leisure facilities free of charge, creating a space where people can play, exercise and unwind without spending a rupee.
Named Happiness Park, the ₹6-crore facility allows visitors to enjoy a floodlit football turf, basketball and badminton courts, a jogging track and a children's play area without paying an entry fee or any usage charge. The only conditions are that visitors follow security personnel's instructions and help keep the premises clean. The park is open daily from 5 am to 9.30 pm.
Perumbavoor MLA Manoj Moothedan inaugurated the park, while actor Siddique inaugurated the football turf, badminton court and basketball court. Rayamangalam grama panchayat president Bindu Gopalakrishnan, panchayat member Preetha Eldhose, former MLA Saju Paul and former panchayat member Saji Padayattil were among those present at the function. The park's founders, David E Johnson and his wife Elizabeth Chiraykkal, also addressed the gathering.
Developed on 1.25 acres, the park is the brainchild of David, a U S citizen and Elizabeth, a Kuruppampady native who holds U K citizenship. Envisioned as a community space promoting recreation, physical fitness and mental well-being, the park brings together a range of facilities for people of all ages.
Apart from the floodlit football turf, basketball court, and badminton court, the park features a children's play area with swings, see-saws, and other play equipment, small pavilions for relaxation, and a track around the ground for walking and jogging.
David retired three years ago as a senior military officer in Washington, while Elizabeth worked at the same place as a nurse. The couple now reside in Kuruppampady with their children, Max, Tanish and Surya.
To ensure the safety of visitors, the entire park is monitored by surveillance cameras and is under the watch of security personnel.