A GRASSROOTS campaign which led to an area of wasteland being transformed into a play park in just 18 months is to earn parliamentary recognition. In April last year a group of local mums banded together to create a safe play area on land behind Well Road. From a standing start and with little previous experience, the Return of Well Road Play Park team will have accomplished their mission when the park is officially opened early next month. The scale and speed of their success has left Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson so impressed he has lodged a motion with the Scottish Parliament congratulating the committee and their supporters. He said: “The Return of Well Road Play Park group have done an absolutely fantastic job of raising so much money for new play equipment and my hearty congratulations and thanks go to each one of them, and their supporters, for raising such a huge amount of money. “Giving children a place to play is so important and this group have shown so much commitment and enthusiasm to raise the money needed and get the play equipment in place. Hopefully it will bring families in from outwith
Buckie too, which is great for the entire town. “Given the hard work and dedication of the group, it was only right that the Scottish Parliament recognise this and I was delighted to be able to submit a motion doing just that. “My congratulations to the group once again and I hope that many happy memories are made in the park.” Play park group chairwoman Rachel
Cormack said she and the rest of the committee were delighted by the news. “We’re all absolutely amazed to get recognition in parliament, we’re just stunned,” she told the Advertiser. “It’s come completely out of the blue, we never expected something like this at all. It’s very satisfying for the team and everyone who’s helped us along the road. This could never have happened without everyone who’s been involved. “So many people have helped us in different ways to achieve this in just a year-and-a-half.” Local Councillor Sonya Warren said: “This is wonderful recognition for what the group and their supporters have achieved and I’m delighted that Stewart was so impressed he decided to bring this to the attention of the Scottish Parliament.
“It’s no less that the group deserve, I’m just delighted for them. This has been a phenomenal grassroots project and to go from having just a wasteland area to being on the cusp of opening a brand new, state-of-the-art play park in a year-and-a-half is an achievement I’m sure you won’t find matched or bettered very often.” A provisional date of November 10 has been pencilled in for the opening ceremony, which is due to get under way at 11am. See the Return of Well Road Play Park Facebook page for updates.
THE MOTION
The community spirit which is about to bring a safe play park area to the Well Road area of Buckie forms a central part of the congratulatory motion submitted to the Scottish Parliament by local MSP Stewart Stevenson. The motion, submitted on October 3, reads: “That the parliament congratulate the Return of the Well Road Play Park group in Buckie on their successful campaign to raise funding to provide a play park in the Well Road area of town; notes the group, comprising of mums from the area, have, in little over a year, exceeded their target of £60,000; notes the official opening is scheduled for November 10, 2018 and commends the proactive, community-driven campaign which will enable many children to enjoy access to fantastic play area in the heart of the community.”