Borders' largest children's play area to open on 3 June
Monday, May 29 2006
After 13 years of hard work and preparation, the Tweedbank Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area will be officially opened by this year's Tweedbank Lad and Lass, Lewis Armstrong and Gemma Knapper, on Fair Saturday, 3 June.
The grand opening will take place at 1.30 pm at the play park next to Tweedbank Primary School. The opening ceremony will follow the Fair's fruit and flower parade, and will involve an afternoon of sport and fun for children and young people.
The Tweedbank Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area is the largest children's play area in the Borders. It was provided by funding from Image Estates Ltd, Tweedbank Recreational Group, Scottish Borders Council, Eildon Housing Association and Abbotsford Homes.
The project began 13 years ago with the formation of Tweedbank Play Trust and, although the Trust had some successes with fundraising, its vision of a children's play area was never realised. In September 2000 five committed volunteers (Georgina Boggs, Maureen Buchan, John Cavaroli, Susan Jeffrey and David Parker) formed the Tweedbank Recreational Group (TRG) to ensure that the original vision of a play area for the children of Tweedbank became a reality.
The Tweedbank Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area forms the centrepiece of a major redevelopment of Gunknowe Loch and Park. The redevelopment involved the upgrading of the entire footpath network, with many new footpaths provided and all of the existing ones re-surfaced. The Loch car park was redesigned to include improved facilities for those with disabilities. Street lighting was installed throughout the Loch and Park and new seating and interpretation information was provided for the many visitors who use the Loch and Park.
C Commenting on the opening, Scottish Borders Council Leader, David Parker, the local member for Tweedbank and a member of the TRG, said, "It is truly marvellous that we have brought this project to fruition. The work on the play area and at Gunknowe Loch and Park represents a £500,000 investment in the community of Tweedbank. The Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area are truly fantastic facilities and are a credit to all the individuals, companies and organisations who have been involved in this project especially over the last six years."
Georgina Boggs, Secretary of the TRG, said, "The TRG has worked tirelessly over the last six years to pull this project together. It is a marvellous facility for the children of Tweedbank and the Scottish Borders and as a mum of three boys I am well aware of the pleasure the children get from playing in this area. The TRG raised over £30,000 towards the cost of the new facilities and we worked tirelessly to co-ordinate, consult and design the Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area."
Sandra Carter, Chief Executive of Image Estates Ltd who contributed over £150,000 towards the cost of the Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area, added, "Image Estates Ltd were very pleased to be involved with this project. Having been involved in developments in Tweedbank, we were absolutely delighted as a company to be able to make this financial contribution which has ensured this exceptional community facility. As a company we are very committed to the Scottish Borders and, as well as our many business developments, we are always very keen to work with local communities. The new facilities that we have helped fund at Tweedbank will be an asset to this community for years to come."
The Tweedbank Recreational Group carried out a massive community consultation in relation to the final design of the Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area. All the facilities provided were chosen by the children of Tweedbank.
To celebrate the opening, a whole afternoon of activities and fun has been put together as part of the traditional Tweedbank Fair Saturday. Radio Borders will broadcast live from the event from 1 pm until 4 pm and Bobby, the Radio Borders Beaver, will be on hand to enjoy the afternoon of fun. As well as the usual stalls, side-shows and car boots, there will be a number of prize competitions and also some inflatable fun provided by Bobo's Bouncy Experience.
There will also be a range of sporting and fun activities for children and teenagers. These activities include:
* Traditional playground games and fun games for children provided by the Enjoyaball franchise
* Cricket coaching and games by Scottish Borders Council's Cricket Development Officer
* Basketball coaching and basketball fun provided by Scottish Borders Council's basketball expert John McBay
* Athletics and fun sports provided by Scottish Borders Council's Athletics Development Officer
* The SFA football fun and development session provided by Drew Kelly and Tweedbank Thistle.
All the sports and fun sessions listed will be broken into half-hour segments beginning at around 1.30 pm and running through until about 4/4.30 pm, dependent on the numbers of people participating.
Georgina Boggs added, "This will be a very special Fair Saturday and all we need now is the weather. Everyone in the Borders is welcome to come along and support the Fair and the opening of the Play Park, Sports Multi Court and Picnic Area, and remember to invite all of your friends and relatives. If you would like to book a car boot or a table top, please contact me on 01896 755084."
For any further information, please contact David Parker, Council Leader, Scottish Borders Council, Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells, MELROSE TD6 0SA. Telephone 01835 826571 (direct dial) or online
Unified Solutions.