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Banchory sets example with opening of new wheelchair-accessible playpark

Generations of disabled children in Banchory have looked on in envy as other kids enjoyed the swings. Not any more.

Finally included: Rhys Munro, 13, enjoys the swing with mum Sarah. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson
Finally included: Rhys Munro, 13, enjoys the swing with mum Sarah. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

The opening of a wheelchair-accessible playpark in Banchory has been hailed as a “great example of what communities can do.”

After the fundraising heroics of local woman Louise Strachan, the all-inclusive play area, including swings and roundabout, was declared open by Aberdeenshire councillor Geva Blackett in the town’s Bellfield Park.

Louise set up the charity, Play For All, which in less than a year raised the £44,000 required to build the playpark.

The community rallied round with quiz nights and booze and bingo nights, among a plethora of fundraising activities. Local groups and organisations, such as Deeside Rugby Club and the Rotary Club of Banchory-Ternan, added their weight to the campaign.

All of which means the charity has funds left over, which they plan to use to expand the playpark.

The P&J was at the opening, where we met Louise, as well as local wheelchair users Clare, Rhys and Rowan.

Louise Strachan
Louise Strachan. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

Banchory families had to travel as far afield as Arbroath to visit wheelchair-accessible playpark

Louise was Rhys’s carer for five years, and has seen first-hand the glaring need for a wheelchair-accessible playpark in Banchory.

“I used to work with Rhys. He’s got a brother and sister. I’d take them to several parks in Banchory, I think there’s about 12 here. And I’d think: ‘There’s nothing for Rhys to do.’

“He had to sit at the side, every time his brother and sister went off and had fun on swings and roundabouts. There was nothing for him to do.

“I thought that was unfair – just because a child is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to have fun.”

The park with balloons up
The new playpark features a wheelchair-accessible roundabout and swing. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

She added: “There’s never been anything for people like Clare, who was brought up here.

“Families like Rhys’s, they have to travel for miles just to go to the park, some go as far afield as Arbroath. Now they can walk it. It’s going to make a world of difference.”

Clare, 28, goes on the swings for the very first time

Clare in her wheelchair in the Banchory park
‘It’s just a shame it’s come when I’m 28,’ said Clare. ‘It’s too late for me.’ Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

Clare Mowat, 28, used a swing and roundabout for the first time just a few days ago when she tried out the new equipment.

“It means a lot, really, because through all the years I was a child there was nothing for people like me,” said Clare.

“People with disabilities constantly have to fight for things, and we shouldn’t have to.

“So having a playpark where children like Rhys and I – though I’m no longer a child – can come and play is amazing.

“It’s just a shame it’s come when I’m 28. I’ll have a go now, but it’s too late for me, and it shouldn’t have to be too late for children. All children should be able to come and play.

Families and friends at the opening of the new wheelchair-accessible playpark at Bellfield Park in Banchory.
Families and friends at the opening of the new wheelchair-accessible playpark at Bellfield Park in Banchory. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

“For so many years I just had to sit and watch my siblings play, because I couldn’t do it. There was nothing for people like me.

“We’re slowly getting there with inclusive play, but how come it’s taken until 2024? It should have been there in the 1990s, 2000s.”

‘There’s never been anything in Banchory for Rhys to play on’

Rhys Munro, 13, and mum Sarah now no longer have to travel up to an hour and more, just to go to the park.

The swings in the new Banchory wheelchair-accessible playpark
The swings feature a neighbouring swing for non-disabled siblings and friends. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

“This means absolutely everything,” said Sarah.

“There’s never been anything at our local park for Rhys to play on. I’ve two other children and they’ve always been able to play, while Rhys is just sat at the side.

“No child should have to sit at the side while their friends and their siblings are playing. A child has a right to play, a right to a childhood. Especially for children with complex disabilities like Rhys.

“Their life can actually be full of hardship, and just to have a bit of respite in coming to the park and going on the swings or the roundabout gives them that bit of enjoyment, in what can be a shorter life and a difficult life.

“It’s 2024, children should be having the best quality of life that they can.

“To have to go from Banchory to somewhere like Arbroath or Alford just to go to the park is ridiculous.

“This is an affluent area with lots of money, yet we can’t call ourselves fully accessible or inclusive until things like this are the norm.”

‘She loves the exhilaration of being on a roundabout or a swing’

Rowan on the roundabout in the Banchory wheelchair-accessible playpark
Rowan, 14, is one of many youngsters in Banchory who have been crying out for a wheelchair-accessible playpark. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

And 14-year-old Rowan’s mum Rebecca was equally delighted.

“It’s amazing, there are so many playparks we go to where Rowan can’t go on anything,” she said.

“When she was younger, her sister would go on the swings and the slides, and of course Rowan couldn’t. So having something as accessible as this is just great.

“She loves moving, loves the exhilaration of being on a roundabout or a swing.

“People don’t necessarily think about how to make that happen for a disabled child, so it’s a big thing to have this on our doorstep. Particularly with the summer coming up.”

Cutting the ribbon to formally open the playpark, councillor Geva Blackett said: “This sets a great example for what communities can do.

“I’m told it’s not going to stop here, and that the group will continue to fundraise for more equipment.

“I’m really pleased to see that there’s someone from a different charity here, who is looking to do the same thing in Crathie. So you really are setting an example here.”

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