The number of people visiting Fernbrae Meadows has soared during the coronavirus pandemic.
Figures show that, while fewer than 15,000 visited the park in June 2019, almost 96,000 attended last July –
an incredible increase of 640 per cent.
The news was welcomed by Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey, who said: “Throughout the pandemic, many people have turned to walking, wheeling and cycling to exercise or to make journeys that may have previously involved vehicles or public transport – and it’s really great to see local green spaces being used well.
"The transformation at Fernbrae Meadows has been incredible.” She is delighted that the area is being so well used by locals and added: “After the closure of Blairbeth Golf Club, the site had attracted a lot of anti-social behaviour, and now, after all the work, it has become a valued asset by the local community.”
Fernbrae Meadows was one of seven Scottish sites to have received a share of more than £15million worth of funding allocated by NatureScot, under the first phase of the ERDF Green Infrastructure Fund, which seeks to improve access to greenspace in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland.
NatureScot chief executive Francesca Osowska said: “In what has been such a difficult year for everyone, it is great to see so many people were able to make use of vital new urban greenspaces like Fernbrae Meadows. The Covid-19 global pandemic has demonstrated as never before how important a nature-rich environment is for everyone.
“At NatureScot we want everyone to have the opportunity to connect with nature close to where they live, and access all the benefits of quality green spaces for both mental and physical wellbeing.
“Our Green Infrastructure Fund is targeting investment to places that need it most and that don’t currently have good access to greenspaces and nature, including some of the most deprived parts of the country.”
Among the Green Infrastructure projects currently being worked on is a proposed woodland retreat at Malls Mire in Toryglen.
