A north-east park has been awarded a grant which will pave the way for smoother paths around its iconic woodland.
Strichen Community Park is kept open by the work of a dedicated band of volunteers who give up their free time to ensure the beauty spot is kept in pristine condition.
However, its paths in recent years have fallen into disrepair.
In a bid to remedy the situation, the group appealed for help from the charity Paths for All.
And this week, park director Hebbie Fowlie and his team welcomed news that they have been awarded £1,500 to upgrade their walking surfaces.
Yesterday, Mr Fowlie said about 100 tons of aggregate would now be used to resurface the park’s paths.
Paths for All invests in similar community projects around the UK.
“We invest in community projects which build local capacity, delivering a volunteer led solution to improve physical activity levels,” it says.
“The fund supports a range of work and we welcome new and innovative approaches as well as tested models of delivery.
“The core aim of all successful applications is to significantly increase the number of people becoming active through walking.”
Strichen Community Park was taken on by the local community in 1997, when local people including Mr Fowlie’s father, Bert, rallied together to begin raising funds to preserve the village’s lake.
Their work has transformed the park into a hugely successful tourist location and popular walking route for residents.
It is also the focal point for many local events, including on Saturday when two of the parks volunteers, 75-year-old John Farquhar and 77-year-old Allan Hogg took part in a log-splitting competition.
