Cambuslang Park secures £550,000 Lottery award

A LONG neglected public park on the outskirts of Scotland's biggest city is to be transformed after landing a six-figure sum of lottery cash from a leading regeneration body.

Cambuslang Park, which borders several deprived communities to the south of Glasgow, will be overhauled after campaigners secured more than half-a-million pounds from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The money will allow for the renovation of the park's arena area, allowing more events to take place for members of the community. In all, the funding windfall of 551,500 will create a new play area and conserve the park's woodland areas.

A full-time park keeper will also be employed to co-ordinate new activities and attract tourists, while members of a local conservation body who helped win the funding will be trained in local history, wildlife and tree management, enabling them to support volunteers.

Norman Rae, chair of Friends of Cambuslang Park, a registered charity set up three years ago to help restore the park to its former glory, said the money will provide a much needed boost for their plans. He said: "I'm absolutely delighted for the community, who have been very supportive of us. This money will provide a greatly enhanced open space on their doorstep.

"The whole project to revive the park has been a model example of co-operation between the community and various bodies, and that is partly down to the personalities involved, but also the general commitment and hard work that has been shown."

Created in 1913, the park in South Lanarkshire spans 27 acres and is home to a First World War memorial.