The grant will be used to create safe and inclusive play areas in our playground. We are aiming to develop 3 separate spaces which would allow increased opportunities for physical activity as well as creating spaces for creative, social and learning activities. Area 1 - ASN provision We are looking to develop the space by installing a rubber floor to replace the current concrete flooring. This area will be available to specific children who find the larger playground overwhelming. This safe and enclosed space will allow for greater opportunities for the pupils to participate in outdoor activities at playtime, lunchtime and during their class learning. At the moment the concrete limits the opportunities we can offer our most vulnerable pupils due to the risk of injury. In this area we would also like to purchase freestanding equipment including a trim trail and outdoor library/reading space.* Area 2 - P1 and P2 Developing the area outside of the P1 and P2 classrooms would allow for daily opportunities for creative and social play. The space would be developed along similar lines of the ASN space with rubber flooring and freestanding equipment*. In this area we would look to purchase equipment with a focus on creative and imaginative play, this would include a mud kitchen, outdoor sand pit and a story teller area. Area 3 - P3 Classrooms Again we would like to develop this into a safe and inclusive play area that can be accessed throughout the day. The rubber flooring would allow for increased opportunities for outdoor learning and social play. In this area we would purchase Dens, Huts and Hideaways* with the view of creating a forest school area. * We would like to purchase the free standing equipment for the spaces as this would allow us to rotate the equipment between the 3 areas. This would mean the children accessing each area would have access to a variety of context areas throughout the year.

We have engaged with our pupils and parents to gather feedback on how we can improve our school. A consistent area of improvement has been identified as our outdoor spaces, particularly for our younger pupils. We have used this feedback to form the basis of our application. Steven Rice has also visited other schools to view their outdoor spaces and how they are used to increase opportunities such as increasing sport and exercise and increasing social, learning and creative play.

Our school is situated within an area identified as one of the top 5% most deprived. The area faces many challenges which impact on our pupils, this has led to a lower than average level of attainment and attendance. We believe that developing our outdoor spaces can not only meet the identified targets but can also act as lever to encourage our pupils to attend. The increased opportunities for play, sport and exercise and outdoor learning have been identified by our pupils and we would appreciate your support in meeting this need.

This project will address the Local Priorities:

- Improve safety, accessibility and equipment in outdoor recreation spaces for families and young people

- Improve community facilities to support wider range of projects

The grant will be used to provide a much needed refurbishment to the ladies, gents and easily accessible/unisex toilets at The MAXwell Centre. Our project alone has a footfall of over 2,500 each month and our centre is the nearest available toilets for visitors to enjoying the facilities and attending events in the Hilltown Park. Improve safety, accessibility and equipment in outdoor recreational spaces for families and young people was a key local Coldside priority identified by our very own youth council for this funding. This grant would allow us to open our facilities to accommodate the increase in footfall that the improvements to play facilities and the outdoor recreation areas in the park would create. We would install signage in the park that our toilet facilities are open to all not just MAXwell participants. Part of our plans for the coming year is to provide more evening and weekend activities, this would increase the open times of the centre and allow access to toilet facilities for longer hours. We also have plans to increase the growing spaces in the park enhancing the recreational spaces. We have been key to developing the Berry Train, Coldside’s Playful nature trail with the Hilltown Park being the start point of the route! This is also a perfect fit for the local Coldside priority. We have recently signed a new lease with our landlords to access the large hall upstairs above the centre. This fits with the local priority Improve community facilities to support a wider range of projects that address issues affecting local people. The additional space will allow us to set up new groups and have new meeting rooms and private spaces. We are well known as a one stop shop for support and our new space will allow us to engage with a wider range of partners to deliver their services and activities in the Coldside area. Our footfall continues to increase year after year. This grant also meets our city plan outcome that our communities have high quality and accessible local services and facilities. Our project is truly representative of the broad spectrum of people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, religions, etc. that we have in the area. Our project breaks down barriers and brings people together in an environment that promotes interaction, integration and to empower them to improve their lives and the place they live in.The current toilets are in very poor condition, bitterly cold in winter and no longer fit for purpose. It has been nearly 20 years since any refurbishment has taken place. The hand driers don’t work making us reliant on expensive, less environmentally friendly paper towels. Lighting is poor and overall the facilities are difficult to clean and maintain.

We engaged our youth council to consult with our young people about the refit. We were disappointed to hear that some of our youths actually find the toilets ‘scary’. Lowering the ceiling and installing floor to ceiling cubicles would make the facilities safer and more pleasant to use. The easily accessible toilet will also be gender neutral, ensuring inclusivity for all. We will also make improvements for hand washing/ drying and new lighting would make the space brighter. All the upgrades will make the facilities more sustainable.

The current toilets are in very poor condition, bitterly cold in winter and the gents urinals are no longer fit for purpose. It has been nearly 20 years since any refurbishment has been done. The hand driers don’t work making us reliant on expensive, less environmentally friendly paper towels. Lighting is poor and overall the facilities are difficult to clean and maintain. We engaged our youth council to consult with our young people who quickly established the refurbishment was a key priority. We have 100’s of children a year using the toilets each year as part of our activities. We were disappointed to hear that some of our youths actually find the toilets ‘scary’. Lowering the ceiling and floor to ceiling cubicles would make the facilities safer and more pleasant to use. They identified the need for improvements to hand washing and drying facilities especially before lunch! New lighting was also identified as a priority making the space brighter and using more environmentally friendly bulbs. Our youth council are passionate about supporting us to achieve our local outcome that children will be safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. The easily accessible toilet will also be gender neutral to ensure inclusivity for all. We also conducted a series of community consultations in 2022 to improve facilities in the park. This consultation highlighted the need for access to toilet facilities was essential to increased engagement and park usage. Finally, we have a dedicated team of over 70 volunteers who take ownership of our project and ensure that it continues to be supported. They are true ambassadors of the centre and our work, many have been involved in discussions around the need for the refurbishment and it’s planning.

This project will address Local Priority: - Urban improvements incorporating environmental seating and shelters

There has been extensive consultations carried out by the Dundee City Council Empowerment Team to identify which projects local people would like to see delivered in the area, public street seating was brought forward through this process.

The locations chosen are on our local shopping street Albert St and in the Stobswell West area of the locality. Streets chosen in Stobswell West include Court St, Arkley Terrace, Sandeman St and Strathmore St, While on Albert St seats would be placed on Albert St itself Eliza St and Craigie St.

The grant will provide funding for the manufacture and installation of eight Albany style bench seats manufactured by P&G Blacksmiths and installed in the Albert St District Shopping Centre and Stobswell West as a result of extensive consultation carrier out by the Dundee City Council Empowerment Team.

Below is the link to the Albany Bench manufactured by P&G Blacksmiths https://pandgblacksmiths.co.uk/street-furniture/benches-seats/albany

We have a garden at school which is not used, and we want to develop this as a play space with a teepee/shelter with bright cushions, an outdoor area with stepping stones, and other play equipment, seating areas, colourful and inviting art and interactive stations on the wall and fence, garden and planting area for flowers and vegetables. This will allow more physical activity, be a safe and inviting space and for well-being and regulation. The garden needs cleared and developed to make it a space which is accessible to all. Some support for learning pupils- due to their specific needs cannot use Baxter Park as an outdoor space as we have done in the past. There are currently three pupils with significant additional support needs, but there are more pupils coming over the next few years, so there is a long-term need to develop this area. 

The area will be accessed mostly by the Support for learning department and by much a wider group of pupils within the school, in science and for pupils taking personal development awards. After speaking with the science department, and some pupils they said they will use it to study different plants and animals. SFL Pupils have looked at the area and through consultation with them have decided on what they would like, their feedback was that the garden needed tidied up and they would like some more things to play with, a nicer place to sit and more things to do. Mr McBain the Head Teacher and I have both attended community meetings in Arthurstone library, for the consultation. 907 school pupils or young people took part in the online survey which was open to all young people in Maryfield as part of the Neighbourhood Captial Grant process and undertaken by Dundee City Council's Community Empowerment Team in Maryfield. All schools in the area took part and a large majority of respondents were school pupils. The results are as follows and clearly evidences the wish for a better school playgrounds, more seating, and outdoor learning spaces- all of which this project would provide at Morgan Academy. This clearly shows the project is supported by school pupils, and young people within the local area.

Funds would be used to buy a wooden shelter, wobble bridge, benches, planters, cushions, plants, sensory toys, cost for construction and installation cost of clearing some of the garden, - Additional sheet sent with the break down of costs.

Students from D&A college garden department to be contacted to help with gardening. Community payback contacted to possibly clear the garden. Senior pupils in school can help with the garden, clear up and maintenance. Staff and pupils will be involved in the planning and location of equipment.

Local Priority:  New seating and picnic benches across the ward

The Whitfield Garden space is being utilised by more local groups, than just the garden volunteers for various events and would be useful to have 6 metal seated benches and 2 metal picnic table/benches for those visiting and will make the space more accessible in terms of people just wanting to come, sit an enjoy the space. Many residents are elderly and enjoy visiting the garden. In addition, we would be looking for funding to improve access by creating an additional path from the from the front gate to connect to main paths in the garden, so more people can access the space. We are also looking to use this fund to repair damaged fencing to create an enclosed safe space for those visiting, especially children and young people.

We have a lot of local support for the above proposals from local community groups, local authority staff and other stakeholders such as Whitfield changemakers. We have supporting letters to that effect that we are happy to share. When local community workers, engaged with the community for ideas, some of the above was raised as possible improvements.

The garden space is more than the spaces itself, the produce from this donated to the local community larder and community cafe. The space is also utilised by other groups and stakeholders and will submit support letters of support as mentioned above.