DALE END COMES ALIVE AGAIN

The park that

had gone

to the dogs

They said the park had gone to the dogs....it was neglected and unattractive to visitors and  to the people living nearby.  The park had  in fact literally gone to the dogs and the mess the dogs left behind. The dogs  and  their owners had  taken over and the park  had gone into a steep decline.

Jenny Cray

But  Jenny Cray  and a group of friends have led the way to  creating a greatly restored Dale End Park (above). Its  popularity is returning as the best place to view one of the top beauty spots in Carlisle... the meandering River Petteril  and  its lovely valley.

It is also again becoming a vibrant recreational area.

Jenny and   her friends are  all dedicated to make their  local area, Petteril Bank,  a better place to live anl  are also dedicated to making  whatever changes are needed to achieve  this. And they are backed to the hilt by their two local councils which are impressed with these local initiatives.

How did it all happen?

First, the group- members of Carlisle South CommunityAssociation  and Friends of Dale End Park with Jenny as chairman- had to fight the blight of dog mess. Jenny believed that dog owners will  never behave responsibly until  they can take pride in the area they live in.

 So  Jenny and her friends set about making that happen by creating a better Petteril Bank environment. And that included a better environment  in Dale End Park.

A blitz on dog mess  started and then Jenny approached Petteril Bank School  for help. Teachers   got children to  design posters in support of the dog mess blitz .And  the posters (one is on the right) were set out in the park.

But Jenny did not stop there. She became a poster girl herself. She  linked in with the city council to have  posters of herself displayed on city refuse vehicles, urging an end to dog mess  all over the city.

Last year, Jenny and her friends enjoyed an important milestone  in the improvement of the park with the opening of a new £80, 000 children`s play area. It was a colourful day too.... a local woman brought along a feast for everyone at the opening  to enjoy.

For 32-year-old Sunjeela Zeba the day had coincided with the Muslim Eid Festival. So mother of two  Sunjeela and her friends prepared lots of traditional Bangladesh Eid Festival dishes and brought them along to the play area opening for everyone to enjoy.

Later that year, soccer pitches were created in the park

This week. another important stage was reached in the park and Jenny and her friends  were there to discuss plans for a new BMX track for children up to 12.

Joining the discussions  with helpful  friendly advice from the  two councils were Jonathan May, Site Management Team Leader of the city council`s Greenspaces section, and Niall Mcnulty, Area Engagement Officer of  the county council`s Area Support Team.-

The  BMX track  will go alongside the sparkling new play area for toddlers  and a multi-use games area for  teenagers installed a  few years ago.  The  new track  is costing £20,000 and is expected to be  completed by the end of the year.

Carlisle South Community Association and Friends of Dale End Park are part of CarlisleTenants` and Residents` Federation which publishes this blog.