Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
People’s park is flourishing
Dear green place is popular beauty spot
Money doesn’t grow on trees – but a cash injection 11 years ago was beginning to help a long- term project to spruce up what is now one of Airdrie’s favourite beauty spots.
The Advertiser of August 2006 told how North Lanarkshire was to invest £ 1.7 million in a major upgrade of Centenary and West End Parks – much to the delight of its volunteer Friends group, which had been formed nearly three years earlier.
Interested residents got together to support the project after the green space at Alexander Street, near Monklands Hospital, was designated as one of the local authority’s new “urban parks”.
Their first task was to complete a wide-ranging survey of local residents, to find out how they would like to see the area developed, following initial improvements including adding lighting and seats.
Since then, the dedicated group has gained funding and support for a huge range of popular and creative projects – ranging from the relocation of a historic fountain to the installation of a decorated horse.
More than a decade of hard work has seen the Friends group complete nearly all of their extensive 2006 wish list, including illuminating the adjacent railway viaduct and “future proposals [ which] include a large play area, wildlife ponds, meadow gardens, lighting of the avenue of trees in Alexander Street, remodelling the surrounds of the Cenotaph, a secret garden and an outdoor theatre”.
Friends organisation treasurer Alex Forrest, who has been part of the group since the outset, said: “We had a group of residents who wanted to be part of the committee, and it’s gone from strength to strength.
“When it was first formed, there wasn’t very much in the park at all, just some old swings and not an awful lot more, but there were flower beds and it had a lot of potential.
“Everything the group has done has been from what the public want – it’s the people’s park – and we wanted something iconic to put in as the first project.
“We’d been told about an old memorial fountain which had once been at the Gushet across the road.
“It was moved to the park in 1922 when the cenotaph was put in place but had been removed in the 1970s when it was in a dilapidated state.
“Then we found it was at Summerlee museum – it was the original Robert Hamilton monument. We got £50,000 in heritage lottery funding to have it put back in the park whence it came, and that’s how we started.”
Since then, the group’s list of achievements has grown consistently each year, with upgrades including the “boulevard of lights”, lighting the trees on Alexander Street with 42,000 LEDs during the winter months; a special flowerbed planted in 2008 marking the park’s centenary; installation of a play area and sensory garden; and commemorative silhouette benches.
The Friends have also installed a heritage trail with 15 plaques around the park, in a project led by president Ian McIndoe who has written a book on Airdrie’s history.
And it had a special new addition two years ago when the traditional “Provost’s lamp post” which had belonged to former Airdrie burgh provost John Donnelly was installed in the park, along with a commemorative plaque.
One of their most visible achievements is the popular series of projections on the arches of the railway viaduct, which sees the historic structure illuminated with various designs at different times of year, such as with poppies for Remembrance Day.
Alex said: “We wanted to do something with that corner, as it was very dark and people didn’t want to go there. We got involved with a company called Lightfolio and we’d seen projections like that on TV so asked if we could do that on the viaduct.
“We applied for lottery funding and were successful in a People’s Millions vote on STV in getting the funding.
“The designs came from local schools and over time the council supported us to spread it to all local primary schools for their input.
“Now we have various projections for different times of year, and the council are very good in changing it for us every month or so.”
He added: “So far we’ve collected around £ 750,000 in grants for park projects.
“We’ re always looking for opportunities and we’ve had a great relationship with funders like Wren and Biffa, which has helped enormously.
“We’ve stuck to the plan with the public’s ideas from the beginning – for example the kids wanted a wildlife pond, and we put that in place in 2014 – and we’re still looking for artefacts and things to put in the park.
“I think the council and ourselves have made quite a good job of it. The people of Airdrie are always telling us that they enjoy the park, it looks in firstclass condition and people take pride in it. The park’s gardener, Gerry McGrath, does a sterling job.”
The latest project in the park will be getting underway in early September, to create a memorial garden in honour of the Airdrie men who received the Victoria Cross a century ago.
Alex added: “There’s a small area at Alexander Street where cottages had been demolished and there was just a bit of ground lying there.
“It will be cleared and made into this memorial, and will hopefully have a big impact.”