A fund launched within the Summer to assist protect Scotland’s parks is near reaching a goal to boost £1million by the tip of 2023.
While 90% of city Scots say it’s vital to have access to nature, one in 4 say the standard of group greenspaces has declined within the final 5 years.
The Parks4Life fund was launched in August by social enterprise Greenspace Scotland – backed by The Herald – and since then £927,688 has been obtained in donations.
Community teams will have the ability to apply for grants to help initiatives and actions as soon as the goal has been achieved.
Many donations have come within the type of £10 or £20 contributions from locals who’ve voiced their help for the marketing campaign, with one nameless donator saying, “Parks have given me so much. They will only thrive if we care for them. Happy to give something to help their future”.
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Another commented, “Parks and greenspaces have given me so many happy memories over the years and hope this will help make many more.”
Greenspace Scotland launched its Park Portraits marketing campaign; a digital photograph exhibition bringing to life the tales of a dozen Scottish folks and the ways in which parks have enriched their lives.
The collection, available to view on social enterprise’s web site celebrates folks from a variety of backgrounds throughout Scotland, and uncovers simply how vital their parks are to them for his or her psychological and bodily wellbeing.
The gallery options tales of a young BMXer at Bellshill Pump Track, a volunteer and campsite supervisor at Silverburn Park, and a group group within the Hebrides that has come collectively to build the primary play park for the island’s kids, amongst others.
Coll group launched a committee to build a brand new playpark (Image: Dave Anderson)
These tales are meant to encourage Scots to replicate on the worth they acquire from their very own native parks and take into account donating to make sure they will proceed having fun with these areas.
READ MORE: £1million fund to safeguard Scotland’s greenspaces is launched
With lower than £75,000 left wanted to hit the objective by the tip of the yr, undertaking leaders say each donation massive and small makes a distinction in the direction of reaching the primary £1 million goal.
There is a longer-term ambition to create a multi-million-pound sustainable endowment fund, just like these generally utilized by charities the place money raised is held in an funding fund and the curiosity and dividends generated from that funding gives a sustainable supply of revenue.
Willie Mungall in Saughton Park, Edinburgh (Image: Parks4Life)
Parks4Life is what’s referred to as a ‘restricted endowment’, during which the funds raised are held in perpetuity, and the funding curiosity and dividends alone are used to present grant funding to group teams to help work in native parks.
A spokesperson for Greenspace Scotland stated: “Funds raised by the tip of 2023 might be invested as an endowment which is able to present a gentle supply of funds for parks and might be utilized by communities to help parks enhancements, actions, occasions, and initiatives; offering a much-needed alternative to spice up the assets that parks have to preserve them in prime situation.
“While native councils will proceed to do their greatest to keep up and shield greenspaces, Parks4Life ensures a sustainable supply of funding for communities to access in the direction of particular targets that align with the mission to maintain parks wholesome and glad for the longer term.”
Donations to Parks4Life might be made online or by texting PARK to 70450 to make a one-off donation of £5.
People throughout Scotland who wish to share their very own Park Portrait and park story are invited to publish on social media utilizing the hashtag #Parks4LifePortraits.
