Ferguslie young people will transform their local park thanks to £50,000 investment

Glencoats Park in Paisley is set to be transformed after local volunteer group Pals of the Privies secured a £50,000 investment.

The group applied to Renfrewshire Council’s Green Spaces, Parks and Play Areas and Villages Investment Fund to upgrade the play area within the park with a new surface and new equipment.

Focus groups were held with the local schools and nurseries, as well as youth clubs, to identify what type of equipment they would like to see and these plans will now be taken forward by the group as part of the first of three phases to reinvigorate the play opportunities in the park.

Demi Donnell, Pals of the Privies, said: “We’re elated to have received this funding to kick start our play park project.

“We are now able to begin to introduce accessible and age appropriate equipment to meet the needs of our entire community.

“Our group is so thankful to Renfrewshire Council for this help it has made all of our hard work worthwhile.

“We hope to continue with our play park improvements with two further stages, introducing parkour style equipment in to the park much to the delight of the local children and the commencement of stage one of the improvement has given us such excitement for the future.”

The group were established as part of the Team Up to Clean Up campaign which aims to enhance community pride in Renfrewshire and the park has been transformed as a result.

Through hard work and dedication, the volunteers litter picked and cleared overgrown vegetation to return it to a welcoming environment for families in the local area.

Councillor Marie McGurk, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board, said: “The Pals of the Privies group have been an inspiration since they were established, and they have transformed Glencoats Park back into a thriving community space.

“This funding will allow them to continue this transformation and provide young people and families with a place to play and spend time in as a community, and I can’t wait to see it progress.

“If you’ve got a similar idea and enthusiasm, please get in touch with the team and we’ll support you to make your application.”

The £1.87million fund aims to regenerate and make physical and environmental improvements to areas across Renfrewshire identified by the local community.

Awards from the fund will assist in bringing in external funding, increase community participation in local areas and encourage the process of transferring assets to local communities.

Each application must show it has consulted the local community to ensure there is a need and desire for the project and that it would improve community life.

£370,000 has been ringfenced from the overall £1.87million fund specifically for investment in Renfrewshire’s villages, through the Villages Investment Fund, and applications for this must show that they will strengthen the unique identity, heritage and character of village life.

For more information and to find out how to apply, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/greenspacesfund.