Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action Magazine December 2022

18 AVA | December 2022
Member Spotlight|
Alford Bike project gets the green
light as major milestone reached
for project
The facility will help the community to engage
in wheeled sports activity without having to
travel to other areas, thus spending more
time in the local area and using the existing
local amenities and services. It’s also hoped
these facilities will create new opportunities
through active participation, coaching,
instruction, and increased visitor numbers
to Alford and the surrounding area which
will be good for local businesses.
Friends of Haughton Park Chairperson,
Simone Sinclair said, “Agreement
of the lease today marks a huge
milestone for the Friends of Haughton
Park Bike Park and All Ability Trails
project! We are delighted and
wish to thank everyone who has
supported the bid. This marks a major
step forward for the project and we
hope to start construction in Spring
2023 subject to planning and further
fundraising. The Friends of Haughton
Park have been working on this project
since 2018 and so we are delighted to have
achieved this aim. We are now another step
closer to having an exciting community
asset, attractive to locals and visitors alike, in
our beautiful park!”
The Friends of Haughton Park Bike Park
and All Ability Trail project reached an
important milestone last week as the
group’s application to lease a site for the build
was accepted. The charity have been granted
a 25-year lease of an area within Haughton
Country Park, which is required to build the bike
park and all ability trails. The Community Asset
Transfer lease application was accepted by
Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr Area Committee
and subject to final planning permission and
fundraising, the group hopes construction on
the facility, which will be among the first in the
North-east, will begin in Spring 2023.
The organisation is a Charitable SCIO set up
in 2018 with the aims to protect, promote
and enhance Haughton Country Park.
The group has initiated many projects in
the park including bulb and tree planting,
wildlife pond clearing, community events
and improvements to signage. They also
contributed to the selection of new and
improved play equipment in 2019.
Congratulations from everyone at AVA, we
look forward to seeing the projects for the
park progress in 2023! For further information
or to get involved with Friends of Haughton
park email: friendsofhaughtonpark@gmail.
com. Follow them on Facebook here.