Athelstaneford community spearheads playpark renewal
Members of the community recently gathered to celebrate the renewal of a children’s playpark in Athelstaneford.
The play area in the village park, which is owned and managed by the council, has been transformed by the installation of a range of challenging, exciting, and inclusive new play equipment for different ages and abilities.
Councillor Colin McGinn joined youngsters from the local nursery and Athelstaneford Primary School to mark the successful completion of the work.
Representatives from the Athelstaneford Community Group, who led the project, and colleagues in Amenity Services, who worked in partnership with the group’s volunteers, also attended the event.
The playpark renewal - which was spearheaded by the local community, received £39,825 in funding from the FCC Communities Foundation and £37,025 from our Community Intervention Fund.
In addition, our Roads Services team recently installed a new raised table crossing and access gate into the park at the Mansefield junction in response to concerns about vehicle speeds and a new path along a field edge which improved access while creating a traffic-free route for school pupils walking to the park for PE lessons. The £60,000 cost of these elements was covered by Transport Scotland via the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund.
The Athelstaneford Community Group was formed to bring forward initiatives in the village such as the regeneration of the park. Its volunteers developed a community-led masterplan for the park, identified the renewal of the children’s play area as a priority and secured funding for the delivery of the new playpark.
The new equipment 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.
Along with the funding from the FCC Communities Foundation and the council, the project could not have proceeded without contributions from Haddington and District Community Council, Caz’s Kiddies in the Country Nursery, and generous donations from members of the community.