Plea to public to respect Falkirk district's outdoor spaces

Lifesaving equipment at the boating lake has been tampered with

Users of Falkirk’s parks are being reminded to respect the facilities and ensure they continue to be a safe place for all to enjoy.

The message from Falkirk Community Trust comes after lifesaving equipment at the boating lake at the Helix was tampered with during the good weather at the end of last week.

Members of the public were angered to spot five of the life buoys from around the lake floating in the water early on Friday morning.

Two of the aides had their ropes cut.

The mindless acts meant that the vital life saving equipment would not have been available should there have been an emergency and the need to help someone in difficulty in the water.

The passers-by fished the buoys from the water.

A spokesperson for Falkirk Community Trust, which looks after outdoor spaces locally including the Helix, Callendar Park and Muiravonside Country Park, said: “Unfortunately, it is a regular occurrence that the lifebuoys and associated equipment are tampered with and vandalised.

“The Helix team do their best to manage any issues across the park, although at this time with many employees furloughed, this is an additional burden to our daily task list.

“With the amazing weather we have had over the past few weeks, Falkirk Community Trust is keen for our communities to enjoy every aspect of our open spaces.

“We are very aware of the positive benefits our parks have on the well-being of the local community. So it is even more disappointing to see a small minority abusing the facilities.

“The Trust’s vision is that Falkirk’s communities are the most creative and active they can be, and to support this we endeavour to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for local people and beyond to have the space to exercise, relax and enjoy the local wildlife that can be seen across all of our parks.

“It is great to hear that the park visitors who observed lifebuoys in the water, helped to rectify the problem and we appreciate this.

“Especially at this time when we have a reduced workforce, and we cannot be everywhere, therefore this assistance by our visitors is a huge support to our teams.

“Should our visitors see any inappropriate behaviour in our parks, we would urge them to contact 101 and inform Police Scotland as this is the only way we can ensure our parks continue to be a safe place for all to enjoy.”

The plea for people to respect the local outdoor spaces so everyone can enjoy every aspect of them follows a call for members of the public to take their litter home with them.

Don't litter Falkirk parks plea

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