Love Parks Week in Moray
This Love Parks Week, running from 29 July until 5 August, Moray Council is celebrating investing over £200,000 in new play equipment across the region.
Moray Council allocates Capital funding to upgrade two playparks each year on a condition scoring basis, improving the lowest scoring first. Recently Rothes benefitted from £50,000 of funding, to which Rothes Community Playpark Group added £110,000 of community fundraising.
Following extensive community consultation and a community vote, a successful design was identified with the final double zip-wire, assault course installations, landscaping and benches due for completion before the end of the summer holidays. The group is extremely active in the community and the process has also sparked community litter picks.
Nicola Cowie, from the Rothes Community Playpark group said: “The children have been involved in everything from fundraising to choosing the design, which has given them a sense of pride in the park.
“We’re very lucky with what we have here as a community. Everybody realised during the first lockdown that we needed a good outdoor space with plenty to do and it’s why I wanted to kickstart the project.
“So many people wanted to be involved with fundraising, and a lot of local businesses helped us. From large cash donations to giving raffle prizes, taking part in events and really pulling together everyone has fully supported the project.
“Next to be added is the picnic area, the contractor is ready to start in the next few weeks and I look forward to seeing the community enjoy the park for the next 20 years or more.”
This year’s projects, receiving £70,000 each following community consultation and voting, are Morven play area in Findochty and Logie Park in Cullen. Each will have new equipment installed by the end of March 2023.
The Cullen project has been supplemented by a further £4,000 raised by the community for the installation of an inclusive roundabout.
A zipwire, installed earlier this year, adds to the Hopeman offering for young people, and young at heart, with £14,525 invested there following liaison with Hopeman Community Council.
The Moray Council Open Spaces team and Community Support Unit look forward to continuing to working with communities across Moray to improve their play parks.
Open Spaces Manager, James Hunter, said: “It’s just magical to see the transformation of our parks and how they are used when the play equipment is upgraded. We’d love to do more, faster but it’s just not possible to get round the whole of Moray in one go.
“We’re looking forward to replicating the positive community engagement we’ve experienced in Rothes, Hopeman, Cullen and Findochty in other towns as we roll out our programme of improvements.
“We love our parks all year round and we enjoy seeing people using them responsibly. We hope many more people get the chance to appreciate our open spaces in Moray during Love Parks Week 2022.”