East Neuk children enjoying new £120k playpark after parents ‘took the bull by the horns’ to make it happen

East Neuk children are enjoying a new £120,000 playpark after a group of locals “took the bull by the horns” and raised the cash themselves.

Dreelside Park in Anstruther was left with nothing but a dilapidated climbing frame after years of neglect.

But now youngsters are flying high on new swings, as well as relishing a chute, flying fox climbing nets and a trim trail.

And the park is busier than ever as delighted pals gather to make the most of the modern equipment.

The result is down to a committee of determined parents, carers and childminders who decided not to sit back and rely on Fife Council to drum up the cash needed.

Anstruther Community Council secretary Daryl Wilson said it was an example of what could be done if communities joined forces.

“We just thought, we’re going to make this happen because somebody needs to,” she said.

It’s the second Anstruther park saved by parent power and follows a successful campaign to prevent a care home from being built at Bankie Park.

Parents overcame setbacks to secure Anstruther playpark upgrade

It’s been a long haul for the residents, who first complained about the state of Dreelside Park back in 2016.

Anstruther childminder Shirley Nuttell was put in touch with council officer Alan Bisset.

And he worked with residents for many months to identify what equipment children would like.

But the project was held up by two separate blows – the Covid lockdown and the sad death of Mr Bisset.

The group then had to go back to the drawing board when they discovered the equipment they had tendered for was no longer available.

And all that was on offer was double the original £60,000 price tag.

‘Great to see the kids enjoying it’

Daryl added: “We took the bull by the horns and raised the money with the backing of the community council.

“We started with a couple of parents, carers and a granny but put an appeal on Facebook for people to join us.

“Eventually there were about eight of us and we put in loads of funding applications.”

Grants were secured from a number of organisations, including Fife Council and Fife Environment Trust.

And a series of community fundraising events were also held.

The hard work paid off when work finally began on site in September.

Daryl added: “The park opened in February and it’s totally getting used.

“It was so run down for many years and it’s great to see the kids enjoying it at last.

“We’re delighted it’s done.”