The Park Life project is an out of the blue-initiated community engagement project to improve Dalmeny Street Park. This project has already involved hundreds of local people attending action planning meetings, creating an exhibition, and completing a survey on their aspirations for the improvement of the park through membership of the Friends of Dalmeny Street Park group.

150 local people are members of the Friends of Dalmeny Street Park and are participants in community events in park and regular meetings. This group works to generate social capital, connect to local networks and actively engage in the community. In 2009 the Edinburgh City Council recognised the Park Life Project for excellence in community engagement.

out of the blue initiated the Park Life project in 2005 in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, Lorne Community Council, The Pilmeny Development Project, The National Galleries of Scotland, and the Capital City Partnership (Edinburgh Arts for Social Inclusion Project). 

Working with out of the blue, the Friends of Dalmeny Street Park group has helped the City of Edinburgh Council to secure match funding to enable the playground in the park to be renovated. The Council has committed £70,000 and WREN £50,000 to ensure the much needed revamp happen. The new equipment is scheduled for installation this Autumn. Local children, from Lorne Primary School, were involved in researching play equipment and helping design the park, and their drawings will be incorporated into the rubber flooring of the playground areas. New equipment will include various climbing frames, swings for all ages and a cable way. Click here to download a copy of the proposed play area plans.

Rob Hoon, Co-ordinator of out of the blue and Chair of the FODSP, says, "It is a key milestone… This has been achieved by the determination of local people through the vehicle of the FODSP to make change happen."