Residents in Danestone say they have been left looking on with envy and dismay as millions are spent on dazzling upgrades at Aberdeen parks. Futuristic space-age climbing frames are soon to be assembled at the beach, and fancy equipment has proven so popular at Hazlehead that it’s caused traffic jams. These Bridge of Don locals complain that Danestone Country Park didn’t even have a bench – until one kind-hearted carpenter took matters into their own hands and cobbled one together themselves.
And now they are calling for action to improve the “forgotten park of Aberdeen”. I visited to see if their anger was justified..
. What are my first impressions of Danestone Country Park? I headed out to the park on a sweltering afternoon in the middle of the school summer holidays to see for myself. After making my way past a slightly overgrown sign, I note that the huge piece of land is empty, except for the odd jogger and dog walker.
The park is extremely peaceful, so much so it’s hard to believe you are still in the city. I meet up with resident Margaret Campbell for a stroll. There’s a broken picnic table and two seats made from old planks of wood and tree stumps.
A pair of rusty goal posts are the only piece of play equipment, with nothing else to entice kids to visit the site next to the River Don. The park stretches so far it is easily accessible by those living in Tillydrone, Grandholm and Woodside. Paths running alongside it means residents can safely walk to Bannatyne’s or the large Tesco supermarket.
But Margaret thinks more could be done to improve things for visitors, starting with proper benches. “People trekking from Tesco to Tillydrone with their shopping, where do they sit? It’s a long walk. “It’s a disgrace that the council doesn’t want to spend money in Danestone.
” ‘I wonder why they’ve never done anything with this park’ Margaret says: “It’s like living in the country but it’s in the town...
We’ve got badgers, foxes, deer, it’s just fabulous.” But the silence I had been enjoying was unimaginable in years gone by. She tells me that there used to be three sets of goal posts and youngsters would be out playing football all the time.
However, council workers removed them around two years ago. “I asked why they were taking the posts away and was told they were rotten and dangerous, but they were never replaced,” Margaret tells me with an expasperated sigh. “I just wonder why they’ve never done anything with this park.
” ‘What else are the kids supposed to do?’ Margaret’s neighbour Nicola Middler joins us. She has visited the park for almost 30 years but says it’s nothing like it used to be. “We had a beautiful kids park here.
.. It had swings, picnic benches, a barbecue and everything,” she reminisces.
“It was great, like being at Balmedie Beach without the sand.” But Nicola believes the park needs more facilities for youngsters to encourage them to get out and play. “Danestone’s got such a high number of children but they took away the equipment and never replaced it.
“People say that kids are on their computers, they are on their phones, all they do is sit at home, but what else are they supposed to do?” Nicola says the park is used by a lot of residents who visit to let their dogs run around. “Some days there can be up to 27 of us here, we need a seat to sit on.” She also said the two homemade benches currently in place are a “godsend”.
“Last year we would come down here on a fine day with our dogs and take our own deck chairs down because there is nowhere to sit,” she explained. Youngster slams ‘really rubbish’ goal posts Young footballer Cameron, 10, has visited the park with his mum for a bit of practice. He often goes down to Danestone Country Park with his dad to have a kickabout.
However, they have to bring their own goals because he quite bluntly says the rusted ones there are “really rubbish”. Cameron wants to see new goal posts installed, along with picnic benches and a small climbing frame. And he wants these new goalposts to be like the ones found further along the Don at Seaton Park.
“It has goals with a basketball hoop at the top,” he enthuses. “People could play basketball as well so you don’t need a football pitch and then a basketball court, you just have it in one!” And he wants to see some action taken sooner rather than later. “We need to get more people out here, it’s like a graveyard,” the youngster remarked.
What does the council have to say about it? But, an Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman confirmed there are no plans to do anything to the park. She explained: “The area is maintained as a countryside area rather than a formal park such as Hazlehead Park. “We welcome any opportunity working in partnership with the local community to improve the area.
”.
