A bouncy castle designed to look like a burning brick building marred a joyful community gathering for one Lynn Valley mother.
Hayley Kelly was attending Lynn Valley Days when her young children made a beeline for a red bouncy castle. With her children inside, Kelly noticed the inflatable play area was festooned with images of windows bursting into flames.
“My heart stopped,” Kelly wrote, noting the recent fire that claimed two lives and sent 16 to the hospital at nearby Mountain Village Garden Apartments.
Instead of a slide, children could jump from an arched window. In the brief time she spent at the castle, “not one” child jumped, according to Kelly.
“I hope . . . there is a public apology for how distasteful this was.”
There was no ill intent, explained Lynn Valley Lions Club president Eric Miura, who said the inflatable castle was a line item approved long before the event and set up by a supplier who is not from the area.
While acknowledging that the castle was overlooked, Miura said there were no complaints during the event.
“If someone had brought it to our attention, we would’ve taken it down.”
The Lynn Valley Lions have been facilitating donations for Mountain Village residents displaced by the fire. While they are currently “overwhelmed” with physical items, Miura said they are still asking for financial donations to help furnish homes and to pay for long-term counselling.
Contributions can be made to BlueShore Financial Lynn Valley through account Fire Relief 93081553.
