Falkirk is to receive around £147,000 next month as its share of £5 million funding to modernise and restore play parks across Scotland – with more promised in future years.
The Scottish Government – which pledged to improve parks during this year’s Holyrood election campaign – says the money is the first round of £60 million worth of funding.
A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said welcomed the extra cash but did not yet have detail on where it would be spent.
They said: “We expect to receive a share of this funding of around £147k this year in September with increased allocations in future years.
“The funding will help with the ongoing renewal of our existing play parks.
“Play parks have a huge role to play in helping with young people’s physical and mental wellbeing and we recognise that families and young people have appreciated play parks even more during the recent pandemic.
“This additional funding will help ensure investment in these important community assets.”
Minister for Children Clare Haughey said the government would “listen to children and young people” to ensure the cash is spent on “play spaces that work for all.
She said: “We know that play is an absolutely crucial part of children’s health and well-being and as we continue to recover from the pandemic, playing outside will allow children to reconnect with each other and allow them to return to enjoying their childhood.
“Our overall investment of £60 million will ensure that all children across Scotland have access to quality play in their own community and helps to deliver on children’s right to play, enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
