Locals benefit from £134k investment into active travel
A MAJOR community-led project has been completed in Castlemilk Park following significant funding from Scotland’s walking charity, Paths for All, as part of a dedicated active travel fund.
Cassiltoun Housing Association hosted a celebration marking the completion of a £134,000 project to upgrade a core path through Castlemilk Park, improving accessibility and enhancing active travel options for the community. This has gone hand-in-hand with work to confirm the park as Scotland’s 100th Local Nature Reserve.
The vital path upgrade was initiated by the local community following a feasibility study, and involvement from the Youth Advisory Panel and park volunteers. It includes new lighting and flood alleviation measures made possible through a £90,000 grant from the Ian Findlay Path Fund.
Additional match funding has come from Glasgow City Council which is also investing in other improvements to the park following decisions by the local representative body, the Linn Area Partnership.
The path improvements make the route accessible year-round, connecting residents to essential services, local transport connections, schools, workplaces, and leisure facilities.
Yvonne McLeod, who manages the Ian Findlay Path Fund at Paths for All, said: “This project will make a significant and lasting improvement to the Castlemilk area.
“The improvements made contribute to meaningful social, environmental and physical value to the lives of the local people.
“The purpose of the fund is to support community projects just like this one and it has been great to witness this fantastic example of teamwork between Cassiltoun Housing Association and Glasgow City Council.
The upgrades come as Castlemilk Park celebrates its designation as Scotland’s 100th Local Nature Reserve. The project’s completion and this milestone underscore the area’s commitment to community regeneration and environmental enhancement.
The project has enhanced wider environmental, community, and economic goals, supporting a variety of engagement activities within the park such as Health Walks, wildlife conservation, and wellbeing groups.
For Cassiltoun HA and local residents, Castlemilk Park’s designation as a Local Nature Reserve marks the culmination of a 14-year project. A community woodland officer, supported by Glasgow City Council and funded by Scottish Forestry, has worked with local residents to develop the park. Now home to diverse wildlife including owls, bats, ancient oak, and butterflies, the park’s new status, endorsed by Nature Scot, will help protect its thriving ecosystem and continue to promote community health, learning, and wellbeing.
Clair Malpas, CEO of Cassiltoun Housing Association adds: “Improving the pathways and replacing the lighting is transformational for Castlemilk Park and brilliant news for the whole of Castlemilk.
“The improvements in the park, from project ideas to practical work has been delivered and led by the community and has only been possible with their engagement and the support from a wide range of funders and partners.
“Thanks go to the Castlemilk park volunteers who have spent thousands of hours to improve the woodland, the young people from Cassiltoun’s Youth Advisory Panel who raised their concerns on the lighting issue and asked for this to be a priority area for funding and all the local people who’ve completed surveys providing evidence that this area matters to them.
“Credit must also go to Cassiltoun’s Community Woodland Officer, Stuart Whittaker, who has worked incredibly hard to get the project to this point and to our colleagues in Glasgow City Council who played a pivotal role. We also thank Scottish Forestry for their support.
“Receiving the Paths for All funding is testament to how far the Castlemilk Park Project has progressed since the feasibility study 15 years ago when the lighting issue was first raised.
“We have been slowly but surely building towards this particular project since 2010 and wish to thank Paths for All for their incredibly supportive team and for this funding that will make a huge difference.
“Becoming the 100th Local Nature Reserve is a reflection of all the hard work that has gone into developing Castlemilk Park to transform it into a valued community asset and haven for wildlife. This status will ensure that this vital green space is protected and can benefit local communities and the natural world for years to come.”
The Ian Findlay Path Fund, established in memory of Ian Findlay CBE, the late Chief Officer of Paths for All, continues to support local initiatives aimed at enhancing path networks and removing barriers to active travel.
Councillor Angus Millar, City Convener for Climate was in attendance at the opening. He said; “It’s been great to see the work that’s been done to improve Castlemilk Park but also ensure this wonderful natural habitat is protected for both local wildlife and the local community.
“The people of Castlemilk have been crucially important to how the park has developed and evolved since 2009 and I’m so pleased that so many partners, including the council, have been working together to support the local vision for the park.
“From a time when the park was seen as unwelcoming and underused, it is now a much-loved place that hosts countless activities and draws in an incredible volunteering effort from local residents.
“Between Paths for All and the council, I am delighted that we have met the local aspiration to improve lighting in the park in a way will support active travel at night but also remain sensitive to local wildlife.
“Castlemilk Park being declared as a local nature reserve highlights the incredible transformation that’s taken place here in the last 10 to 15 years and it’s a fitting tribute to the local community’s passion for their local green space.”
Paths for All work directly with communities to improve local path networks that will make it easier and more attractive for people to walk, wheel and cycle or choose public transport for local everyday journeys.
Community groups interested in potential future funding can reach out to the Ian Findlay Path Fund team at IFPF@pathforall.org.uk
For more information about the Ian Findlay Path Fund, visit: https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/community-paths/cmp-grants/ian-findlay-path-fund
