HUGE THANKS

to the muscle of Abernethy who ‘mucked in’ (literally) to help build a bike skills loop and woodland seating area at Powrie Park in June More than 60 villagers and local tradesmen braved the wet and muddy conditions to create what it is hoped will be a wonderful new outdoor resource for the community. The new woodland bike skills area has a ‘table top’, two ‘skinnies’ and several beams, and is the brainchild of locals Aaron Gray (organiser of Perthshire mountain biking event “Muckmedden” and Kyle Strachan (cycling instructor). Thanks to their expertise, lots of local muscle and generous donations of rock from SSE and Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, the loop is almost complete and already being enjoyed by kids (and parents) of all ages. What was once a rubbish dump in the wood has also been transformed into an outdoor seating area that will be used by the school, scout and guide groups. AEA Chair, Kate Butler said, "It’s great to see a com- mitted group of locals keen to improve the facilities available to our young people. Local businesses, parents, teens and primary school aged kids all lent a hand and a great deal was achieved over the weekend”.

Special mention has to go to the following people, without whom the weekend would have been impossible:

• Aaron Gray (Aaron Flooring)
• Kyle Strachan (Bloomfield Bikes)
• Andrew Williamson (Volvo Digger Hire, Newburgh)
• Andrew Sinclair (Sinclair Landscaping)
• Simon Boyd (Simon Boyd Building Servies)
• Andy Smith (Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions and RJT Excavations)
• Chris Meek (SSE and Hewlett Civil Engineering)
• Scott Baird
• Mitchell Ellis
• Murdo, Andrew & Claire McGhie
• Keir Allan

Cheers folks - the community really appreciates your efforts.

There is however more work to do to improve our parks. Ambitious plans include upgrading the facilities at Powrie Park to include a zip slide, an all abilities swing and a larger car park. But there’s a huge funding gap to close first. Perth and Kinross Council who own both parks are supporting the project with some funding but AEA estimates a further £80,000 is needed to meet the diverse needs of the community. Kate continued, “Existing facilities are not meeting expectations. Most of the play equipment in Powrie and Williamson parks is 25 years old and no longer fit for purpose. The local population has grown dramatically over the past 10 years and this is placing increased pressure on our amenities. We need to do more than the basics to provide a stimulating outdoor play and recreation experience for everyone in our community ”.

Our next quest is for 400 tonnes of type 1 (aggregate) to build a car park behind the Pavilion. Yip, we're aiming for a mud free parking experience for the many users of the Pavilion. If you can help us source this and other building materials, it'll make a big difference and mean we can get started sooner. Please contact us for more.

Colin Adams