A Moray community has been given a huge cash boost by an anonymous donor to ensure the town can continue to look its best during the summer season.
The sight of unkempt grass in Lossiemouth has attracted complaints from locals amid fears of deterring children from playing outdoors and masking litter and dog mess.
Now it has been revealed that a kind-hearted local has donated £600 to help maintain the playing fields next to the town’s secondary school for the rest of the year after becoming fed up with the state of the grounds.
Last night, the generosity of the donor was welcomed but warnings were made that long-term solutions still need to be found if parks are to be maintained to previous levels amid more budget cuts.
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Mike Mulholland, chairman of Lossiemouth Community Council, said: “We asked the council to quote us a figure for how much extra it would cost for them to keep doing the playing fields like they were, that was the figure we were given so that was the donation the person gave. It’s very generous.
“It’s something we are going to have to think about in the future though if it continues like this though.
“If the council isn’t going to pay for it then we have two choices, we can let our town deteriorate or do our best with volunteers, the generosity of our community and the hard work of organisations who care about the town.”
Moray Council maintains more than 1,700 acres of grass in parks and countryside spread across the region every summer.
This year the authority reduced the frequency of cuts as part of budget cuts needed to save about £10million to balance the books.
However, exceptions have been made for cemeteries, council house estates and high-profile areas – including in Lossiemouth at James Square, the esplanade and at the Mercat Cross.
Heldon and Laich councillor James Allan praised the strong community spirit in the town.
He added: “Everyone in Lossiemouth mucks in. People really care about the town and want to see it looking nice, they’ve helped keep the public toilets open too.
“The football pitches have been getting cut but not round the edges of them. It’s very generous that somebody is willing to pay for that to be done themselves.”