Plans to bring a rundown Bridge of Earn park back to life are moving into the design phase early next year after more than £169,000 of funding was secured.
This comes after a group of dedicated parents campaigned for improvements to the children’s play area at Victory Park.
And the Bridge of Earn community’s Christmas celebrations over the weekend were just the latest fundraising event, adding hundreds of pounds to the pot.
The event contributed to the total of £4,412 raised by the community so far.
An online fundraising page and October fun day event have helped add to it.
Meanwhile, £165,000 from other sources including Perth and Kinross Council and Greenspaces means the campaign to reinvigorate Victory Park is going full steam ahead.
What’s next for the park?
The Christmas party event not only raised funds but also allowed locals to let their hair down for the evening.
And organisers hope improvements to the park will also allow the space to be used for community tree planting initiatives next year.
Parent Myra McShannon-Kefford said: “The Christmas party event was great fun.
“Especially as it has been a long time since some of us have danced, so there were a lot of sore feet after the event.
“We are so thankful to all the local businesses who stepped up and donated fabulous prizes without hesitation for the both the raffle and the tombola.
“We are continuing to push on.
“And we will be moving into a design phase with Community Greenspaces early in 2022 as we continue our mission.”
The Community Greenspace team, based at Perth and Kinross Council, support community groups by advising them on parks and green areas.
“We will be having some community planting events of bulbs and trees as well,” Myra added.
“Those will be advertised locally so all the community can get involved.”
‘Urgent action’
The campaign to renovate Victory Park began earlier this year when parents demanded “urgent action” after severe flooding left it unusable and a child injured her hand on the slide.
They launched a petition in June urging Perth and Kinross Council to repair the children’s play area.
And it attracted hundreds of signatures in the first 24 hours.
Since then, parents have worked closely with the council to ensure the park is brought back up to standard for children to use.
