Glusburn Park
Glusburn Park History
Glusburn Park was designated in 1925. It cost £780 pounds to purchase the land and a further £1500 was borrowed to put in all the features including a pond and all the trees and bushes. The purchase of the land was made possible by concerts and donations and a further £200 gift from Sir Donald Horsfall. The area was originally known as Green Hill but now it is a well used public park with play equipment, fitness equipment, a tennis court, skatepark and toilets.
Towards the end of the last century the pond was filled in because it had become a health and safety hazard and the lack of running water through it meant it was also difficult to keep filled up.
Over the last hundred years the park has developed and changed to try to reflect what people expect of their public park. We continue to try to put in new pieces of play equipment, whilst repairing damage to the existing equipment.
In 2000 an extraordinary Parish Council meeting was held where a large deputation of young children presented the P.C. with a petition that a skatepark should be constructed. In 2002 this was duly constructed and is very popular, it also allowed a tennis court and basketball area to be developed in the park.
In about 2014 we purchased a range of fitness equipment which has also proved very popular, not just with adults but also with children.
With the park now almost 100 years old some of the plants and trees are beginning to show their age. We have recently had to remove most of the Rhododendrons along Park Road due to a fungal disease, and some of the trees are getting so large that they are a potential hazard so each year we have to undertake remedial work on some trees to make sure the park is safe for everyone to use.
Plans for the future are to try to develop a park which is more attractive to wildlife and also recognises the issue of climate change and that we have a part to play in trying to alleviate it. Therefore in 2020 we planted 100 native British trees and over the next few years will continue to plant more trees, flowering shrubs and flowers.
Other plans for the future include making a hard standing area for boules, BBQ’s, and other activities, developing a herb bed and possibly some fruit trees, and trying to get a group of volunteers to carry out special jobs in the park, such as bulb planting, looking after fruit beds, making and putting up bird boxes, and other jobs to help Glusburn Park continue to provide value for all visitors.
