Community push ensures kids can still enjoy playing at park in Highland village
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Members of a Highland community have rallied round to ensure children can continue playing in their local park.
It follows an outcry across the area after play equipment was removed or fenced off after being deemed unsafe following health and safety inspections by Highland Council.
One play area affected was in Aird Road, Beauly, where it was deemed there was an insufficient covering of bark to cushion falls from equipment.
But Beauly Community Council and Beauly Gala provided funds and joined forces with residents to resurface the area with an adequate depth of bark to keep the play area open.
At the other end of the village, play equipment has been removed from Orchard Park.
Mother-of-two Angela Blake understood it was unlikely to be replaced by the council.
She was delighted the play area in Aird Road would remain open but remained disappointed about the situation at Orchard Park.
She has contacted her local councillors to discuss the possibility of creating a child-friendly community garden at the site.
"I am trying to look at it positively to see what can be done," she said.
Elsewhere across the Inverness area, play equipment has been fenced off at parks including Maxwell Park in Cradlehall and the play area next to Duncan Forbes Primary School
The move comes in the wake of a council report in December estimating the cost of repairs, maintenance and replacement was £3.4 million across 339 council-owned play parks.
Related story: Playpark renovation hopes in Easter Ross
