Council chiefs have agreed to invest in new sports facilities at two schools - after the Clydebank Post stepped in and highlighted a raft of serious safety concerns.
Frustrated parents told how they have been fighting with the local authority for 10 years after pitches at Camstradden and St Clare’s primary schools in Drumchapel fell into such a state of disrepair they became dangerous and unfit for use.
The red blaes surfaces regularly flood, had became badly rutted and overgrown with moss, making them hazardous for pupils and local youngsters to play on.
One parent told how a boy was left with a broken arm after slipping during a school sports day.
Worried parents turned to the Clydebank Post for help and now council bosses have finally agreed to dig deep and release funding to install modern 4G all-weather multi-purpose facilities at both sites.
A letter shared with us from Cat Smith, the local authority’s assistant group manager property and consultancy services, says that contractors have now been appointed.
It reads: “I can confirm that Education Services recently completed a tender exercise and have successfully engaged a specialist pitch contactor to carry out initial rejuvenation works.”
It is hoped the overhaul at St Clare’s and Camstradden will begin in early November, once a programme of preparatory groundworks has been completed. Afterwards the schools are to be included on a regular schedule of fortnightly maintenance across the council estate.
Angela Devine, chair of the parent council at Camstradden Primary, previously told us that people had run out of patience after waiting a decade for promised improvements.
She said: “This has been a major problem for a long time and the pitches have become unusable.
“A pupil slipped and broke his arm on the surface a few years ago during a sports day and we don’t want something even more serious to happen.
“People have fixed a set of makeshift goalposts on a wall nearby so the kids can have a kickabout, it is quite sad to see really. If the council builds a school, then they have a responsibility to maintain it and make sure its facilities are fit for purpose.”
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Locals took their concerns to ward councillor Paul Carey BEM, who joined the Clydebank Post in lobbying the local authority.
He added: “I’m delighted that the council has finally committed to upgrading these unsafe and dangerous pitches.
“We have been fighting without much success to get this sorted for almost a decade, so it’s all thanks to the Clydebank Post stepping in and highlighting the serious safety issues that pupils were facing that we have finally managed to get this over the line.
“Improving the pitches will finally give youngsters here a safe and secure place to enjoy being active and getting outdoors, but it shouldn’t need to take a pressure campaign like this to maintain standards in our schools.”
Multi-use games area facilities, more commonly known as MUGAs, can vary in cost depending on the size and complexity of the project. The cost of constructing a MUGA can range from £15,000 to £250,000, depending on factors such as size, surface material, site preparation and additional required features like fencing and lighting.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council added: “A new synthetic pitch maintenance contract has begun, and this will improve surface condition in school pitches that require work to be carried out.”
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