NEIGHBOURS came together to raise nearly £30,000 to provide a new play park for their homes in the Newhailes area of Musselburgh.

The facility at Maitland Park was officially opened on Saturday during a Hallowe’en party that attracted about 50 local residents of all ages.

Organiser Jenny Dougall later said: “It was overwhelming just how much the community came together.”

She said that she moved to Newhailes with husband Craig about nine years ago and, after having two children, found that there was nothing for youngsters to do. The nearest playpark was at Fisherrow Links, which was more than a mile away.

Mrs Dougall said: “After speaking to a number of my neighbours, I discovered that there used to be a play area in our estate, which was removed some years ago due to its state of disrepair.”

Three years ago, she set about the task of trying to get the facility reinstated, as there were more and more families with young children moving into the area.

She said: “I put a business plan together and contacted a number of organisations in the hope of securing some funding to help us reinstate the play area. As we are a privately owned estate and not a registered charity, I kept hitting a brick wall.

“We were planning on holding a number of fundraising events ourselves; however, after being advised that even the smallest of play parks would cost in the region of £25,000, I knew we would need backing from a third party.”

Undeterred, and with the guidance of neighbour Simon Fairnie, she submitted an application to Viridor Credits, which was successful, bringing in £23,288,30.

Letters of support flooded in from local MSP Colin Beattie, ward councillors Fraser McAllister and John McNeil, and former Musselburgh councillor and chairman of East Lothian District Council George Wanless.

Further grant aid came from the Musselburgh Common Good Fund and the Big Lottery Fund, taking the total raised to £28,212.30, which allowed the project to go ahead.

Mrs Dougall said: “The company we used to provide and install the play area was HAGS SMP Ltd, who were fantastic from beginning to end.”

Children can enjoy swings, a climbing frame with a slide, roundabout and other equipment. The football park on the site, which was full of weeds, has a new surface of red ash, as well as metal goalposts and a basketball hoop, and is fenced off for safety.

Mrs Dougall added: “I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes me to see the community spirit restored in Newhailes. We now have a safe, fun environment where the people of the community both young and old can meet and play outside in the fresh air. I can’t thank everyone enough for believing in me and supporting our project.”

Musselburgh MSP Colin Beattie said: “The new playpark looks absolutely fantastic. It’s clearly a real hit with the kids, and it was great to see so many in the local community come out for the official opening. I was really impressed by the efforts everyone made for the Hallowe’en fancy dress!”