The renewal of a children’s playpark in Athelstaneford - which has been spearheaded by the local community - is ready to move forward following a funding award.
The play area in the village park, which is owned and managed by East Lothian Council, will be transformed by the provision of £39,825 from the FCC Communities Foundation.
Athelstaneford Community Group, who are leading the renewal project and working in partnership with the council, have developed the plans for the play area following extensive consultation on the village park, including with local children and young people.
The FCC Communities Foundation funding will allow a range of challenging, exciting, and inclusive new play equipment for different ages and abilities to be installed. This includes a climbing frame with a rope bridge and slides, a cableway (flying fox), a wheelchair accessible roundabout, a ‘nest’ swing, and a bespoke Athelstaneford ‘village shop’ play panel.
The existing equipment, which has reached the end of its lifespan, will be removed.
Along with the funding from FCC Communities Foundation, the project could not have proceeded without contributions from East Lothian Council’s Community Intervention Fund, Haddington & District Community Council, Caz’s Kiddies in the Country Nursery, and generous donations from members of the community.
The renewal work is currently scheduled to get under way in February and will take around a month to complete, weather permitting.
Dedication and hard work
Volunteers formed the Athelstaneford Community Group SCIO to bring forward projects such as the regeneration of the village park. The group raised funds to develop a community-led masterplan for the park and identified the renewal of the children’s play area as a priority. They then worked in partnership with the council’s Amenity Services team to bring the replacement of the playpark to fruition.
Residents were consulted over the park renewal proposals, and youngsters from Athelstaneford Primary School and the local nursery were given an opportunity to share their views and help shape the playpark specification.
Councillor Colin McGinn, East Lothian Council’s Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing and Sport, Countryside and Leisure, said: “I’m delighted this funding award will allow work to begin in the coming months to renew the play area. I’m sure it will be a popular and inclusive space for many years to come.
“As well as the organisations which provided funding to make this project a reality, I’d like to pay tribute to the volunteers from the Athelstaneford Community Group SCIO for their dedication and hard work and the wider community who raised funds and gave their views on the design.”
Make a difference
Chris Brace, from Athelstaneford Community Group, said: “After several years of hard work, fundraising and planning it’s exciting to see this first phase of the community’s vision for the park being delivered. This has only been possible through the collaborative partnership developed with East Lothian Council and the generosity of our grant funders and the many people in the community who have contributed to the project.
“We would also like to thank Haddington & District Community Council for their crucial support in helping make the project happen.”
FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that supports projects through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.
Cheryl Raynor, FCC Communities Foundation Grant Manager, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the project and pleased our funding will enable significant improvements to be made. The application that was submitted showed a high level of local support for the project and a great deal of work pre-application took place to evidence this.
“FCC Communities Foundation is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that make a difference to local communities and we’re really looking forward to seeing this one take shape soon.”