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Play parks and growing projects in Inverness to benefit from £700,000 injection in bid to improve access to outdoors and promote mental wellbeing in the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic


By Val Sweeney

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The temporary closure of play equipment at various locations in the Highlands earlier this year sparked anger.
The temporary closure of play equipment at various locations in the Highlands earlier this year sparked anger.

Play parks, growing projects and a befriending scheme are among a range of outdoor facilities and projects in Inverness communities set to benefit from spending totalling £700,000.

The aim is to help improve local access to outdoor space, encourage time spent outdoors and promote mental wellbeing in the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic

Inverness councillors approved £100,000 Place Based Investment Funding in each of five wards with spending of £200,000 still to be announced in two more wards.

It follows a budget decision in March by Highland Council to allocate £100,000 to each ward for the 2021/22 financial year to respond to the direct and indirect health, societal and economic impacts of Covid-19.

Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael said: "The range of projects and activities that this funding will assist will help to improve local access to outdoor space, encourage time spent in the outdoors and promote mental wellbeing in the recovery from the pandemic."

The funding has been allocated for:

*Aird and Loch Ness – play parks, paths/trails, cycle networks and community-led projects.

*Inverness West – play parks, residential path improvement, secondary school growing projects and primary school wellbeing projects.

*Inverness Ness-side – a befriending scheme, Castle Heather Park, MacDonald Park, Culduthel Woods, an environmental-awareness project in three primary schools, Holm Path improvements and the Holm Grown project.

*Millburn – play parks, befriending scheme, and a fitness and wellbeing initiative.

*Inverness South – Inshes Community Park and Inverness College UHI ABC Garden project.

Funding allocation proposals for Central ward and Culloden and Ardersier ward will be brought back for discussion at a future meeting of the Inverness area committee.

Closure of play parks deemed unsafe sparks angry reaction


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