The Liberty Swing is back ready for use with restrictions at the Natural Play Space in North Battleford's Centennial Park. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Increasing accessibility

Local businesses step up to fix Liberty Swing

Oct 15, 2021 | 6:03 PM

Families with members facing mobility challenges will again be able to use The Liberty Swing in North Battleford now that it has been repaired, after being damaged by vandals earlier in September.

Battlefords Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) executive director Colleen Sabraw thanked local businesses Four K Auto Service Ltd. and Bear Metal Welding for their generosity in offering to repair the structure at no cost.

“They had to do quite a bit of welding to fix it,” she said. “It’s all fixed. The keys are in place. Everything is going again.”

Sabraw said their kindness has positively impacted children and families in the Battlefords area.

The Liberty Swing can only be accessed with supervision for the safety of the user. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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Sabraw related that Owen Kaye, owner of Four K Auto Service Ltd., said he was devastated to hear about the vandalism to the Liberty Swing, and reached out to see how the team could help.

“He said he was appalled to know someone had damaged something so valuable to those individuals that spend their lives in a wheelchair,” Sabraw said. “He said we decided as a company that we would pull together and fix this for you. So he said anything damage-wise in the future, please come to us and we’ll be happy to help out in any way.”

The teams from Four K Auto Service Ltd. and Bear Metal Welding had to replace the damaged lock on the swing equipment itself, as well as the lock on the protective gate that surrounds it. They also completed some welding work on the gate itself, and then Blue Shield Locksmiths checked and cleared the lock for the swing.

Sabraw said all their efforts were appreciated.

Looking ahead, she said she is aware the City of North Battleford plans to look at improving security around the Liberty Swing in the Natural Play Space area, in an effort to deter vandalism in the future.

The wheelchair accessible Liberty Swing offers inclusiveness, and provides children and adults with an opportunity to enjoy therapeutic relaxation they otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience in a park setting.

Access to the Liberty Swing area is restricted to users and carers to ensure the equipment is safe and secure. The device cannot be operated without a specially designed key for the swing.

The Battlefords Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) in partnership with the City of North Battleford first launched the new wheelchair accessible Liberty Swing at the Natural Play Space playground in Centennial Park in North Battleford in July of this year.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow