DERRY City and Strabane District Council, through its Parks Management and Development programme, are adding to the recreation facilities at Leafair in Shantallow with the commencement of a new jogging trail around the existing grass football pitch.

Derry based construction company AMS Ltd have been awarded the contract to develop the trail which will be floodlit at night time and aims to provide a safe environment for walking and jogging when it opens to the public later this year.

Speaking at the launch of the project, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock, said the trail will bring added value to the existing amenities at the site.

“This is an exciting development for the Shantallow area and will perfectly complement the play area, outdoor gym and synthetic and grass playing pitches that have been developed to date,” she said.

“The trail is beautifully located on elevated ground with stunning panoramic views of the city and is the perfect location to go for a walk or jog, offering the added safety of floodlights on dark nights.

“I see this as an investment in the future both in offering local people a suitable environment to fulfil their fitness goals and encouraging them to make healthy choices by taking regular exercise.”

Peter McDonald, Co-ordinator of the Leafair Community Association, said the addition of the track will help further their vision of creating a “one stop shop” for local people to improve their fitness at the site.

“The jogging trail will be another add on to the already great facilities that we have in Leafair,” he said.

“It will be a particularly useful tool for local sports groups to train on but it’s a facility that the whole community will have access to and get value from.

“As an association we are keen to promote the health and wellbeing of the people who live within the area and we hope this track will be an added incentive for people to exercise regularly.

“With an outdoor gym already in place the site is well on its way to becoming a one stop shop for people to work towards their fitness goals.”

A spokesperson for the Northside Development Trust added that they were pleased to assist in the project.

“The Trust is happy to financially support this initiative by the Leafair Community Association to add this much needed facility to the area,” said the spokesperson.

“When completed it will provide a safer environment for people in the site’s large catchment area to exercise and keep fit.”

The Leafair Jogging Trail project is a jointly funded initiative by Council, the Department for Communities and the Northside Development Trust and is scheduled to completed by late spring.