Upgrade to boating pond paths in Thurso gets under way
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Work has started on the upgrading of the surface of a popular leisure haunt in Thurso.
Running club North Highland Harriers (NHH) is spearheading the project to repave the circular path around the town's boating pond.
Contractors on Monday started to fence off the area, which is used for the Thurso parkrun every Saturday morning.
Neither that event nor the junior parkrun on Sundays will be held while the work is being carried out, as there will be no public access to the area, including the adjoining children's play park.
The £55,000 scheme, which is expected to take six weeks to complete, also includes improving drainage to the path.
Conceived at the start of the year, NHH started raising funds in March.
Fundraising lead Donna Stewart, who is event director of Thurso parkrun, said: "It all came together really quickly. We are quite lucky that we got quick decisions from a lot of our funders and we got the contract started without any delay."
Ms Stewart said the club makes use of the path not just for the parkruns but for its winter training schedule.
The path is also popular with locals and visitors walking and exercising their dogs while the play area is well used by children and families.
The retarring is desperately needed as sections of it have become badly broken up and potholed.
Ms Stewart is delighted the work is going ahead before the winter as use of the area, particularly in the evenings, was posing an increasing risk of trips and falls.
The drainage work, she adds, should help minimise pooling and icing of the path after heavy rain and freezing conditions, which have led to cancellations of parkruns.
Ms Stewart said NHH is very grateful to a number of local organisations such as Thurso Rotary Club, which have provided practical support as well as a £5000 donation.
NHH got the ball rolling with a £10,000 donation while a Crowdfunding appeal raised £1600. Highland Council stumped up £9950 and Thurso Community Council weighed in with £1000.
It also secured £15,000 from Caithness and North Sutherland Fund while £4000 has come from the community benefit fund of Baillie Wind Farm.
Contributions also came from the West Caithness Community Fund and West of Orkney Windfarm community benefit funds.
The final injection was the £300 proceeds from a Live Jive concert in the town's Park Hotel.
"That got us over the line," Ms Stewart said.
She added: "I'm so pleased the work is under way as it is a project very dear to my heart."
She regrets that there will be a temporary stop to the senior and junior parkruns while Lybster firm John Gunn and Sons completes the job.
But she said: "For very short-term pain, there will be a very big long-term benefit."
Thurso Highland councillor Ron Gunn praised the enterprise of NHH in getting the scheme off the ground so quickly.
"They took the bull by the horns and raised the necessary funding and got the work on the ground started in a really short space of time,” he said.
"It's a model example of the community working together."
Councillor Gunn said the resurfacing and the drainage work will improve what is a very popular recreational spot for local people and visitors to the town.
