50 years ago: Youngsters hard at work at Greenock summer play group (1975)

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19-07-2025

FROM OUR ARCHIVES...
SEVEN days a week, 14 hours a day a group of people are working full out in the South Maukinhill district of the town to ensure that the children of the area enjoy their summer holidays to the full.
The people, headed by community recreational officer Mr Jim Bristow, are the backbone of Renton Road Adventure Playground, which caters for youngsters aged five to 14.
With Jim, who works full-time at the playground, are five assistants and four voluntary workers who live in the area.
(Image: archive) This is necessary because the playground operates from shortly after 9am until 11pm.
Jim is quick to point out that a lot of the credit for the many successful projects undertaken by the playground should go to the people of the district.
"The mothers up here have been great," he said.
"They not only run functions to raise money to pay for outings for the kids but also provide sandwiches and lemonade that makes for happy travelling!
"Apart from outdoor constructional activities in the area round the playground – plus games and table tennis inside - we also include in our programme of events like hill walking, youth hostelling, visits to the Safari Park at Blair Drummond and day trips to Butlin's Holiday Camp".
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He is proud of the fact that since the playground started this summer's holiday session, not one event had been run at a loss.
"The children pay for most of the cost of the outings and local folk are great at helping to raise funds for us," he said.
The people who work at Renton Road are quick to point out that the outside of the building does little to make outsiders enthusiastic about the work.
"We hope to remedy this and also cultivate the exterior. It is an adventure playground that, has never been developed to its full potential," added the leaders.
"Something for everyone" is the motto carried out at Renton Road from simple play for the tots to discos for the up to 15-year-olds.
(Image: archive) The leaders hope that the Renton Road project will become a "pilot" for other similar projects to be started throughout the town.
Certainly, they have worked hard to try and prove their point that the kids of South Maukinhill are just the same as anywhere else.
They love fun and games and the leaders are determined they will have as much as they can possibly give them.
This article was first published on July 18, 1975.