On Thursday 13th June, Maryhill Park Tennis Courts won the best clean up award at the Evening Times’ Street Ahead Campaign Awards. 🙂
The best clean-up campaign award went to After Schools Activities Programme (ASAP), a charity set up to restore Maryhill Park tennis courts. As well as making the area safer and more attractive, dozens of young people now use the courts in after-school tennis sessions.
Community police officer Danny Moran, who nominated the group, said: “They are amazing – they have given new life to a park no-one used for 20 years.”
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/streets-ahead/our-magnificent-seven-are-streets-ahead-127371n.21341966
The work done on the tennis courts is great. Been using them quite a bit. The only concern I have with them is the isolation and lack of security in that area. I would suggest only playing there in larger groups of three or four. With only two of us playing, we were approached by a group of five teenage boys (without tennis gear) who walked right into our game and started peering at all our equipment and making comments. They hung around staring and generally trying to intimidate until they were thankfully chased off by a local resident. It’s a shame that the quiet and peaceful location can also mean that players may be targets for intimidation.
I’m glad you are enjoying using the courts 🙂
We continue to work to make the park feel like a safer place for all, in particular by removing undergrowth and overgrown shrubs etc so that there are clear sightlines throughout the park, and nowhere is hidden away.
As the bowling greens/tennis courts areas gets more used we should see a further decrease in anti-social behaviour in the area. It is worth noting as well that groups of young people aren’t necessarily up to no good 😉