4 September 2023
The play park site, which used to be part of growing up for so many people in Ullapool, had been lying dormant for many years until last winter, when Lochbroom Community Council and local volunteers began work on their ambitious revitalisation project.
With the site not having been used for so long, the first task on everyone’s To Do list was a major one - to level the ground and prepare it for resurfacing. Only after that was done could plans for the re-design and new equipment start to take shape.
John Shanks, Project Manager for SSEN Distribution’s recently completed £15.6m Aultbea-Ullapool network upgrade, explains more about how he and the team were able to support such a key stage of the play park overhaul:
“When Lochbroom Community Council told us about their plans to revitalise the old play park site, I knew straightaway that it was something I wanted to help with. From looking at the location, it was clear there would need to be a lot of heavy duty digging and clearing before anything else on the project could progress and so, following a short call with Keltbray, our project partners, we thought the best way we could help was by providing the Community Council with one of our diggers and a team to operate it safely.
“From that cold, dreich day in February when we cleared away lorryloads of earth and rocks to now, where everyone is enjoying the park, it’s great to have been able to help support such a worthwhile community project.”
Speaking after the park was re-opened, Angela Ford from Lochbroom Community Council said:
“ The whole community is immensely grateful to SSEN for their hard work and efforts to get this major project underway. All of their staff were so helpful and hard-working. It was a great boost to see the area cleared, making way for the construction of the new park which is proving very popular with children and families.”