Trustees vision to re-establish Friends of McDonald Park

Community volunteers in Ellon are being encouraged to help re-establish the Friends of McDonald Park group.

The call comes after an appeal by the McDonald Park Endowment Trust for support towards sourcing of future funding opportunities for the park’s continued development.

Donated to the local authority back in the 1920s, the McDonald Public Park endowment was established to support park maintenance and provide recreational facilities to enhance community wellbeing.

At a recent special meeting, park trustees considered the options open to them and agreed that it was appropriate at this time for the Trust to de-register from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to remove the costly financial burden of the current auditing process that the local authority is bound by.

Trustees now hope that there will an enthusiasm within the community to breathe new life into the Friends of McDonald Park Group, with several volunteers already having offered to support ongoing works and activities held within the park.  

Should the group reform, it could undertake to register as a SCIO, and work with volunteers who have come forward to offer support with funding applications for the area.  

Aberdeenshire Council has developed a management plan for the park led by Landscape Services, with significant improvements having been made across the park in recent years. 

Any income generated from external funding opportunities identified by volunteers would support the delivery of a management plan.

Ellon councillor Isobel Davidson, who chairs the Endowment Trust, said: “We were very encouraged by the offers of support shown in revitalising the friends group and supporting both activities and fundraising efforts. We now hope to build on that early momentum, bring more and more volunteers together and get it back up and running and continue the tremendous work it has undertaken over the years.”

Any volunteers who wish to re-establish the Friends of McDonald Park are invited to email the Formartine Area Office at formartineareaoffice@aberdeenshire.gov.uk