A bid to restore an iconic Victorian bandstand in Dundee is gathering strength.
The Friends of Magdalen Green have raised more than £8,000 as part of a campaign to refurbish the park’s historic pavilion.
The group, who recently led a successful bid to redevelop Roseangle playpark, hope to raise £50,000 to repair the structure, which is more than 120 years old.
“The bandstand is lovely and there’s lots of things that go on around it,” said Catherine Fairweather, chairperson of Friends of Magdalen Green.
“It has such a lovely backdrop with the water, the rail bridge it’s all just beautiful and we just want to try and preserve it. Once it’s gone, we’ll never get it back.”
Despite being enthusiastic about the project, Catherine said she did not know yet how long it would take to raise the funds and refurbish the bandstand.
“We’d be keen to keep it exactly the same,” she said.
“It has fallen into a bit of disrepair and we got a ballpark figure of how much it would cost and £50,000 was the figure we got.
“I don’t really know how long it will take us to raise the money, to be honest.
“I don’t know if it will be this year but I’d love to think it would.”
Repair work six years ago made the bandstand safe for public use, but Catherine said she thought it was important to restore it to its former glory.
“It’s gorgeous and it’s hard to believe that the council tried to sell it at one point, in the 1990s I think,” she said.
“If we can get some grants to help fund the work that would be great.
“We’re also hoping to have a meeting with Gary Robertson, who’s the council’s head of environmental management, and hopefully they’ll give us some money.
“We’re really passionate about it it’s such an iconic part of Dundee.”
Those interested in donating to the restoration can visit www.magdalengreen.org.uk for more information.