Aberdeenshire Council has announced the completion of a new outdoor space at Ellon Day Opportunities, which will provide staff and service users with an improved area for recreational activities and rest.

The works were completed by Ellon Rotary Club and JKR Contractors, with the help of Rotary Club volunteers. Landscaping works began on October 30 and took approximately one month to complete.

Ellon Day Opportunities provides support to adults with learning disabilities in Ellon and surrounding areas. The centre offers development opportunities in the form of programmed activities and work experience within the community.

After lockdown, the staff at Ellon Day Opportunities wanted to create a multi-functional outdoor space for service users. The new outdoor plot will provide space for recreational activities, relaxing outdoors, and planting flowers and vegetables in the spring.

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Una Simpson, Day Services Manager at the centre, said: "We at Ellon Day Opportunities are delighted with our new outdoor space. Our aim was to create a safe space for our service users to exercise, garden, or simply sit outdoors and enjoy a cup of tea.

"We are very grateful to Ellon Rotary Club and JKR Contractors for their time and hard work throughout the completion of the project. We hope the plot will have a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our community for years to come."

Cllr Anne Stirling, Vice Chair of Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership's Integration Joint Board, said: "It is a pleasure to see the works completed at Ellon Day Opportunities. The new outdoor plot will no doubt be a welcome addition to the space for members of the Ellon community.

"This last year has shown us the importance of community and spending time outdoors, and I believe this space will benefit the centre in both aspects. I would like to commend the hard work of everyone involved in this project, including the staff at Ellon Day Opportunities, Ellon Rotary Club, and JKR Contractors."

The new outdoor space was unveiled at Ellon Day Opportunities on Friday 17th December for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Ellon Rotary Club.