Bridge of Weir Community Council

Established in January 2007, the Bridge of Weir Play Park Improvement Group is concerned with the upgrading of the village's run-down recreational areas to the benefit of children, their families and other residents in the village and beyond, creating facilities for a broad range of people to share enjoyable experiences and hence create a greater sense of community in an age that seems to be driving different social groups apart.

A survey carried out by the Group in 2007 confirmed the need:

" 71% of those surveyed thought that the play equipment in Bridge of Weir Parks was poor or very poor - 43% v. poor.
" 95% agreed that the village needed improved recreational facilities
" 95% thought that the Play Park Improvement Group's proposals would be a significant improvement if implemented.
" 90% said that they would use the parks more often if the facilities were improved - 58% 'very significantly more'.

Although the Group has the backing of Renfrewshire Council, who own the village's parks, current and future constraints on the Council's budget means that the monies necessary for recreational area re-development in the village will not come from this source. Moreover, Bridge of Weir is ineligible for the broader range of funding targeted at areas of multiple deprivation in Scotland. It was on this basis that the Group, comprising local parents, came together.

During 2007-08, the Group managed to raise a substantial sum of money, in record time, for its first project, the re-development of the Houston Road Park in the village. New play facilities were opened by the Depute Provost of Renfrewshire in June 2008, followed by a second phase of development during 2009. A third phase of development in the Houston Road Park is about to get underway to complete an ambitious project.

The Group is now turning its attention to the other recreational parks in the village. One of these parks, Lintwhite Park, is the subject of this proposal.

'Active Lintwhite'

Lintwhite Park in the east of Bridge of Weir comprises a reasonably-sized playground adjacent to a grass football pitch, with a rough path along its border. As with the other local parks prior to Group starting its activities, the play facilities and other amenities in the Lintwhite Park are few, very old, and of limited interest to children and adults alike (see Appendix A). However, the Park has a great potential to be an area where children, families and other residents could come together to enjoy an accessible, fun and safe environment for healthy outdoor play and recreation without having to travel to other parks. This is particularly important for this specific area of Bridge of Weir which contains the highest density of low-cost and Council-owned housing in the village - any upgrading of the Park could greatly benefit families and other residents who are less able to travel.
One of the local football clubs, Bridge of Weir United, has been working for some time to improve the facilities at Lintwhite Park for the boys' teams who play there. The Play Park Improvement Group is keen to support the Club in its efforts. Hence in partnership with the Club, Renfrewshire Council, the Community Council and other local stakeholders, we propose to create a recreational facility at Lintwhite that will support sports development and sports 'conditioning' (of value to the football club) as well as providing a range of play opportunities for younger children. The creation of 'Active Lintwhite', an 'outdoor gym'/play facility, will be a unique feature in Bridge of Weir, and indeed Renfrewshire. See Appendix B for some examples of 'outdoor gym' equipment.

Our aim is to increase the numbers of individuals using the Linwhite Park by 500% from the current low base of approximately 50 person visits/week, re-establishing the Park as a valued resource in the part of Bridge of Weir.

Not only will this project bring social benefit through increasing recreational/interactional opportunities but also potentially create environmental benefit through reduced car journeys to other parks. The former benefit is particularly important in a part of the village that has suffered from a range of youth disorder in recent times.

Project features

The project will involve the following upgrading/development work:

" Installation of new play equipment suitable for a younger age range, e.g. new roundabout etc.
" Installation of new outdoor sports equipment, such as a basketball mini-court.
" Installation of 'outdoor gym' equipment, to benefit both Bridge of Weir United teams and members of the general public.

Project Timetable

The overall timetable for the project is envisaged as follows:

Dec. 09 - March 10: Detailed project design involving partners and local residents
November 09 - March 10: Fund raising
April 2010 - tendering and contracting process (to be handled by Renfrewshire Council)
June 2010 - Start of re-development of Lintwhite Park
August 2010 - Anticipated completion of work

Clearly the Group is intent on raising a substantial sum of money to cover all of the potential development of Lintwhite Park outlined previously. However it is recognised that a phased approach to development, that gives the potential to match different development 'levels' to funds gained, will provide an effective approach, and indeed a contingency strategy for the project. This is illustrated below (for example):

Level 1: installation of new play equipment.
Level 2: Level 1 + outdoor gym equipment
Level 3: Level 2 + outdoor sports facilities

This approach will ensure that the Group will be able to deliver some aspect of redevelopment by the summer of next year.

Ongoing engagement of local residents and groups will be key in understanding the optimum design and scheduling of development.

Project Costs

As indicated above, the Group is adopting a 'phased' approach to the overall project. The estimated finance required for each level is as follows:

Level Funds required - cumulative (£) (approx.)
1: Installation of new play equipment 20000
2: Level 1 + outdoor gym equipment 40000
3: Level 2 + outdoor sports facilities 60000

The Group has already secured £8000 towards the funding of this project.

Appendix A : Current state of Lintwhite Park

Appendix B : Examples of outdoor gym equipment