Park Renovation
Project Status: Ongoing
During COVID, it became clear that there were no spaces for safe outdoor socialising, for any age group.
Moreover, the play equipment in the park was visibly ageing, fraying, and worn.
In late 2020, LCDT launched a grassroots campaign to raise funds to upgrade our local park. A committee of our members has worked very hard on this project, conducting surveys to discover what the community wanted from a park, liaising with equipment suppliers to create designs and budgets for a fully upgraded play park, an intergenerational seating area, and a space for teenagers, with local media to raise awareness, and with council representatives to find out what might be possible on the site itself.
We successfully applied to two major Renfrewshire Council funds, winning £30,000 from the Villages Investment Fund and £50,000 from the Green Spaces fund; we also oversaw the Community Olympics event, which saw teams of villagers competing in sponsored events throughout April and raised almost £10,000 towards the renovation.
Because of the success of the project, the level of community engagement, and the release of new Scottish Government funds towards play park development, Renfrewshire Council agreed not only to make up the rest of the £150,000 needed for the play park, but also to make our park one of the first spaces they regenerate.
Supported through community consultation, LCDT aims to restore this historic building as a welcoming space for the community to enjoy once more.
This project aims to:
- Create a safe, modern play area by replacing old, rusting equipment, surfacing, and fencing.
- Establish an intergenerational community hub, a seated meeting point where residents of all ages can gather, connect, and spend time together.
- Provide facilities for teenagers by installing an exercise-powered shelter with equipment
- Improve park infrastructure by upgrading worn, inaccessible fencing and uneven flooring to make the park welcoming for everyone.
- Promote health and wellbeing by encouraging more outdoor activity across all age groups
- Foster civic pride by creating a well-designed, well-maintained space that the community can take pride in
- Attract visitors by developing the park to draw people to the area, benefiting both residents and tourists.
A Facebook group was set up to gather ideas, attracting over 400 members who shared their suggestions for park improvements. We then launched an online survey, publicising it through social media and the local community newsletter, and collected over 200 responses. Separately, 39 young people aged 11–19 took part in a survey designed just for them. Our steering committee used all of this feedback to shape the park development plan.
