Brora Rangers donate play park site to Highland Council
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A Sutherland football club has made a generous gift to benefit children in its community.
Brora Rangers have donated land they own, on which a school playground is located, to Highland Council.
The playground at Brora Primary School is adjacent to the football club’s pitch and the club has leased the land to the school’s parent groups for more than 30 years.
However, club officials felt that transferring ownership to the local authority would both protect and secure the future of the popular play park for generations to come.
The move follows a major refurbishment of the play park in stages over the past few years. Problems with a boundary wall which led to the closure of the play park in recent months have now been resolved.
Club chairman Scott Mackay said the club was delighted to be able to be able to give something back to the community.
He said: “Although we were happy to lease this piece of land adjacent to our grounds for the use of the school park, it was a really easy decision for us to hand it over to Highland Council in perpetuity.
“As a Highland League club, the support we get from our local community is absolutely vital, so to be able to repay some of that, is a privilege. Who knows, maybe some of the girls and boys who are kicking a ball around the park today, will one day be kicking the ball on ours!”
He added: “We are delighted to have played our part in securing the reopening of this important playpark. As neighbours, it is truly heart-warming to hear the sound of children laughing as they play, and to see them letting off steam as they climb, jump, run, swing and do all the things that children do best.”
The play park has been refurbished over the last few years following a Herculean fundraising effort by parents which raised £137,000 from the local community, local businesses and grants.
The new-look play park, which features agility trails, tunnels, basket swings and a climbing frame, was opened to children of all ages last summer.
However, the gates were closed again in August last year when concerns were raised about the wall between the play park and the football club. But, following remedial works the gates were reopened in time for the children’s Easter holidays. Further preservation works to the wall will be completed later this summer.
