Two Jim's Can't Be Unlucky! Cuthill Park is Certain to Succed ...

Tales from The Past Shall Not Blight The Future!

Willie Innes is entitled to recall the past in Prestonpans, when some 'bad' lads ruled OK near Cuthill Park. In the 70s and 80s we became the butt of many a pathetic joke. But The Pans has moved on a long way since then, and Willie's own, and Pat O'Brien's, efforts as Councillors have been very significant contributors to the progress achieved.

Now the challenge is much easier. Surfing skills are required by Councillors as they seek to keep their balance on the top of the wave! It's the First Principle of Re-election come May for starters.....

So, the words of wisdom emanating from two Jims who were there then and are still standing now are worth noting as we rehearse a list of negatives and obstacles. Community Council Chair Jimmy Yule and Historical Society Chair, Jim Forster, both exemplify the positive thinking without which no surfer will ever stay on his board.

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The Questions Seem Already to Be Answered

Qu.1: Is demolishing a wall that stood for the first 75 years of the Park's life a sine qua non for the grass being cut? Answer: Scarcely

Qu.2: Are today's youngsters going to knock golf balls into the Bowling Club as their predecessors did if the grass is cut? Answer: No, the RMGC will take any aspiring golfer into its own practice areas. Golfing in the Park should be banned and cause no hardship.

Qu.3: Does the Park need to be dug up for a second attempt at providing drains for the new housing at the top of Prestongrange Road? Answer: Maybe. And if so where precisely, because we can work around it pro tem.

Qu.4: Can the Park be linked as a walk through to Prestongrange Museum? Answer: Of course, it already is!

So What's The Problem?

The problem is that we residents nearby [Ed. I live on Prestongrange Road] have accepted the fate imposed on their community by the Council as punishment for a few bad guys with golf clubs some decade ago, just as the whole town was denied a community Christmas tree for 15 years. And that, quite simply, is no longer an appropriate answer [if it ever was!]

Since over a ton of litter and much dog fouling had not been removed we residents did it ourselves. And a second sweep is planned next weekend. And it seems very likely that if the grass is not cut very soon, we residents will do that job too. It wont be as easy as picking up garbage without the right kit, but we have the manpower and it can be done! Far easier of course if the Council simply does the job like it has been mandated to do since the 1920s.

The Really Tough Question is How Do We Get an HLF Lottery Grant!

What we all need to turn our minds to is not the negatives that are all within our power to answer positivley, but as to how we can make the best imaginable case for support. Why should our Cuthill Park, ahead of thousands of other neglected parks around the UK, get a very generous slice of HLF's limited Parks Restoration Funding. What's so special about us then?

This is where the Arts Festival's 'Grant Applicator' Gillian Hart comes into her own. She has been the masterminded behind almost all the successful recent arts applications including the Witches Grant from the HLF that led to the mural already in Cuthill Park painted by local artist Tom Ewing.

.... and the Residents' Consultation Meeting is on February 27th [not March] at the Gothenburg at 6.30 pm with tapas ....

This is the big opportinity to inject all the creative ideas we might have of what will be great for the Park in the future; and how to Win Friends and Influence the Decision Makers at the HLF ... those are the Real Questions and the Real Challenges .....