It took Rick Castle more than 18 months to raise the $88,000 necessary to bring a wheelchair swing to Poplar Hill Park in Ilderton, Ont. “Sometimes I went out in the wintertime, and it was so cold now doing bottles and cans,” said Castle, a member of the Poplar Hill Lions Club (PHLC). “Do I really want to be out here? To see what happened today, It’s all worth it.” The laughter and smiles on the face of Olivia McIntosh, 18, is what Castle was talking about. She has cerebral palsy (CP) and a global delay. We first met her in 2024 when her parents had to lift her from her wheelchair and carry her to the regular swing. Now, they can park in the new accessible parking lot, and wheel her on pavement all the way into the swing. “We have staff but there are times that we’re not going to have staff,” said Ashley, Olivia’s mom. “As we get older, our body ages and her body ages. She won’t be able to even sometimes walk across to get to the other swing. This way it just makes our lives that much easier.” Brenda McLeod brought her daughter Tammy, 48, from Strathroy to test out the swing. “It’s taken them a long time but now here we are,” said McLeod. “Tammy is getting a little bit older, but for a lot of the younger residents around and even from the city can come out. Tammy said that she can love this because she can get on with her friends and they can have fun together.” Castle first thought of the idea to bring the swing when he saw grandparents struggling to get their grandchild from a chair into the regular swing. Between collecting bottles and cans and an online fundraiser, PHLC raised around $55,000. The Municipality of Middlesex Centre agreed to put them over the top late last year. Mayor Aina Deviet went to the budget committee and the remaining money was accounted for in the budget. “Giving everyone a chance to participate is totally welcome,” said DeViet. “This kind of work is really deeply appreciated and it’s hard to measure the value of that.” That value was evident when Olivia enjoyed her time for close to 20 minutes. “She can come and she can play and she can interact with our community,” said McIntosh. “As you can tell, she likes to swing and go fast.” Dignitaries were on hand to celebrate the grand opening Sunday. “Small communities, they put their work boots on and they get it done,” said Steve Pinsonneault, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex member of parliament. “Congratulations to the Lions Club and everyone else who was involved.” The swing and paved walkway are now complete and those with accessibility needs are already enjoying the only one of its kind in the region. “We have people stopping in from Windsor that want to use the swing because they have kids in wheelchairs,” said Castle. “They’re from all over the county. It’s a great day. It’s a great project. I’m glad I did it. I’m just looking forward to the next one.”
