Brand new equipment was unveiled today at a playground in Corstorphine after a local mum rallied the community together to win a competition.
Mum of one Angie Dickson nominated St Margaret’s Park for a £15,000 renovation bursary as part of Robinsons Fruit Shoot’s national mission to protect outdoor play in its Parents for Playgrounds campaign.
In February this year parents were asked to nominate and vote for their local playgrounds on the website www.readyforten.com, to help promote and preserve traditional outdoor play around the country and ensure that the UK’s children stay active, healthy and happy.
Angie said: “I nominated St Margaret’s Park because it desperately needed it and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity. I knew that the community would get behind it because it is something that they use quite a lot and we have been waiting years to get a bit of a refurbishment. Hopefully this will be the first stage and we are hoping that the council will be able to put in some more money so we can make it even bigger.
“I read about the competition in the local press. I saw Robinsons were running this competition and they had asked members of the public to nominate their local playground for renovation and I thought ‘I’m going to do it!’ I put pen to paper and submitted it online then I started the whole campaign. I put up flyers and posters and just got everybody on board. Now it has paid off!”
St Margaret’s Park was one of 20 shortlisted by Robinsons Fruit Shoot because it had been a past favourite with locals and it was found to be in desperate need of new equipment due to its age of 26 years.
When the power was passed back to the UK’s parents for voting the community of Corstorphine rallied together to make St Margaret’s Park a winner.
Angie said: “It is fantastic! This is such a popular park and it is right opposite the school. It has just been crying out for a renovation for such a long time. I am so pleased that everybody backed the campaign. It makes such a difference that people are positive.”
Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader at the City of Edinburgh Council, was at the grand unveilling today and he was extremely pleased: “The equipment is excellent. It is good community initiative. The community rallied around and voted for it and we won against stiff competition from right across the country.
“It means we can encourage children to be out and about in the sunshine, although it may not be sunny today. They can be out and about in the sunshine, playing and staying fit. This means we can tackle obesity as well as getting children to socialise with each other. It is all the good messages we are trying to get across and it is a really good boom to the community.”
