Group believe they have bold vision for Belhaven
Wishaw residents have outlined their plans for a bold new vision for Belhaven Park.
Last month, members of Coltness Community Council began calling on residents to come together to establish a group to develop Belhaven Park.
The call came a week after North Lanarkshire Council were forced to act after locals hit out at the sorry state of the park after a spate of vandalism incidents.
As well as appealing for locals to come forward to help with a new vision, a community clean-up day has already been organised for March 4 from 10am until 2pm with assistance, equipment and additional volunteers provided by Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI).
This is the first of four dates already confirmed for 2020 with many more in the pipeline it would seem and includes opportunities for volunteers to train and up skill.
Community council volunteer Megan McConnell said: “I’ve been blown away by the open door and warm welcome provided.
“The group have big aspirations so I’ve also been challenged to think about what tasks we can do for ourselves, what I’m most interested in and passionate about and the benefits of that approach to myself and the community.”
The group have already acquired 1000 trees for free which they are actively looking for help and places to plant.
The team are working closely with the heritage groups Friends Of Cambusnethan Priory and Campfire History to better understand the wealth of interesting artefacts in the woodland like protected giant redwood trees and remnants of a mill site, mansion house, mining and a pet cemetery.
Almost all of which tie back into the rich history of the park which was gifted to the people of Wishaw by the late Lord Belhaven.
Coltness Community Council chairman John Carr admits he has been blown away by the support from nearby residents but urged others to get involved.
Fellow community council members Mark Johnston said: “While we recognise the park is ultimately the responsibility of the local authority you don’t have to look back far to find tremendous community engagement around assets like this but somewhere along the line people perhaps started to take things for granted.
“The Duchess Park have an active group who have achieved loads just down the road in Motherwell and the Development Trust in Lanark have Castlebank Park looking incredible as well as having built great facilities that offer educational opportunities.
“We’re working closely with the council to hold them accountable, but as a group we recognise our personal responsibility to care for the park and we’re looking for others who feel the same.”
In response to plans to help develop the park, a North Lanarkshire Council spokesperson told the Wishaw Press last month: “Our Community Partnership
Team are working with Coltness Community Council to identify an effective way for local residents to be actively involved in the development of Belhaven Park, through the Community Empowerment Act.”