Right in the centre of Dumfries, southwest Scotland, lies Catherine Street Park – a small but much‑loved community hub with an accessible playground.
The park is run by a small local charity called Include Us and was recently featured in a report on creating urban public spaces that benefit children, published by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UN‑Habitat.
We spoke to Andy Zieleniec, Chair of Include Us, about the space, what went into its creation and why it’s such a vital asset to the local community.
“Catherine Street Park is a half‑acre pocket park right in the centre of Dumfries Market Town, the main market town for Dumfries and Galloway,” says Andy. “It's a historic park. It was bequeathed to the community by a local landowner in the 19th century.
“The history of the park is quite interesting. It was used a lot by maids and servants of big houses as a recreational space.”
Andy first became involved with the park in the late 1990s.
“I used to take my daughter there and most of the equipment was either broken or not fit for purpose anymore,” he says. “It had quite a lot of large mature trees and was very dark and wet. You couldn’t do much in it.
“The local authority got funding, I think from the Lottery, to regenerate a larger park in the town. But what they neglected to do was provide inclusive and accessible play spaces for children and families with needs.
“So a campaign was started by the Parents Inclusion Network and other interested parties to try to change the council's mind – and, failing that, to allocate funding for an inclusive park that would be suitable for those with physical and invisible disabilities.”
This eventually led to the creation of Include Us.
“I'm a local resident,” says Andy. “I live literally within a stone's throw of the park. And I also have a history in parks — my PhD was on Glasgow's public parks.
“I joined the group and we set up Include Us, and we successfully lobbied the council to do a community asset transfer of the park to us and to donate some money towards refurbishing it.”
“We had a big fundraising campaign where we raised over half a million pounds and contracted a landscape designer," explains Andy. "We did a lot of consultation with local families and the wider community about what kind of park they wanted to see and what features and facilities should be included. We also liaised closely with International Play Association representatives in Scotland, who gave us lots of advice about good things to include in a play park.
“For example, we have a water feature — a pump called Percy the Pump — that kids can pump and play with. Kids just love playing with water. We also have a sandpit underneath our playhouse, so lots of mud pies get made. That's a lovely feature.
“We have a wheelchair‑accessible roundabout, a wheelchair swing and a nest swing. I'd say about 50 to 60% of the park’s play equipment is accessible for those with physical disabilities.”
Ensuring Catherine Street Park is as inclusive and accessible as possible is at the heart of Include Us' mission.
“We're very aware of the need to cater for all members of the community, from babies and toddlers all the way up to pensioners,” Andy notes. “So we wanted to include lots of spaces within the park where you can just sit, be, have a quiet time or meet with friends.
“That’s the ethos we have: we want to ensure that everybody is welcome, regardless of needs, background, age or abilities.
“To achieve this, one thing we did was flatten the park a bit so that it doesn't flood as much. We provided a circular pathway so that those in a chair, using mobility equipment or who are perhaps a bit unsteady on their feet can still come in, walk around and access all the seating we put in.
“We also have spaces where our volunteers are growing things,” says Andy. “We have flowerbeds, vegetable beds and herb beds. Every year we run an event called Plantasia during the summer holidays, where kids choose which children’s films, storybooks or characters they want to turn into decorated raised flowerbeds.
“Dumfries has a cost‑of‑living crisis as much as anywhere,” adds Andy. “So we run a whole series of events throughout the year in the park that are always free to attend. We have a Halloween spectacular night and other events throughout spring and summer.
“We describe ourselves as a community centre without walls because the park is open 24/7. We have had some issues with anti‑social behaviour in the past, but our Development Manager is really good at engaging with local young folk.”
Catherine Street Park has now been running for over six years. Include Us employs one full‑time member of staff and two part‑time members, supported by volunteers.
“Our running costs are fairly small, but we would love to do more,” says Andy. “It's a constant process of raising enough money each year to keep going.”
While Catherine Street Park is not currently protected with Fields in Trust, Include Us is committed to ensuring it always remains an inclusive community space.
“Dumfries is a relatively small town and, like in most town centres, there's not very much green space,” says Andy. “We are very, very keen on ensuring that this green space remains a publicly owned charitable space so that future generations will be able to enjoy it like people do now.”
Find out more about Include us.
Find out about our Fields in Trust Standards, which provide guidance on creating inclusive green spaces that benefit local communities.