New park at Victoria Terrace Public School
Community sponsors came together to replace decades-old park
FERGUS – Community members and businesses have come together to bring a new park to Victoria Terrace Public School in Fergus, and the school held an official ribbon cutting for the park on Oct. 23.
The school’s old park was condemned by the Upper Grand District School Board in May 2025, and roped off to stop children from playing on the old, unsafe equipment.
The school’s parent council rallied to raise $81,777 to replace the 45-year-old dilapidated playground, securing donations from 41 local community members and businesses.
It was installed by Vant Play Equipment Inc. in August and opened for the first day of school on Sept. 8.
Council initially estimated that the playground would cost closer to $100,000.
Parent council member Jillia Brimblecomb was a force behind the fundraising, and told the Advertiser in 2025: “When I get something in my mind ... it’s going to happen. In the next year, we are getting a new playground. I will make it happen.”
Sponsors, parent council members, and students came together for the ribbon-cutting event where Brimblecomb was serving cake to celebrate.
During the event, principal Trish Drohan spoke of the importance of having a “place where kids can be kids, challenge themselves, and just have fun.”
She said the playground provides a “wonderful example of what can happen when a school community comes together for its children ... it takes a village to make things like this happen.”
Sponsors in attendance were Starr Lindsey, Pat Farrell from Giant Tiger, Sara Cheney from SM Polymers and Eva Lane from SV Law.
Lindsey told the Advertiser she decided to make a donation because she had been on the committee to bring the old park to Victoria Terrace when her children, now in their 50s, attended the school.
She took photos of the new park to send to those now-grown children, and said it was “lovely – just beautiful” to see the young children playing on the equipment.
“They have to have this for their physical health and mental health – a place to just have good fun,” Lindsey said.
Sponsors also included Allan Boynton, Bellamy Landscaping, Boo Boo Buddyz, Brantford Twin Valley Zoo, Brighten Up (Fergus), Bubble Tea Room, Centre Wellington Sportsplex, Cooking with Ange, Dunpar Homes, Elora Distilling Company, Fergus Scottish Festival, Fresh Box Market, Fergus, Funvilla Guelph, Giant Tiger, Fergus, Gorge Country Kitchen, Grand Valley Wind Farms, Guelph Grotto, Guelph Lakes Golf and Country Club, Highland Pines Campground, I Love Chocolate, Jenn Finney Art, Lost & Found Cafe, M1 Real Estate Brokerage, Matco Tools George Humphries, McDonald’s (Elora, Fergus and Guelph), Nelson Aggregates, Outpost Bottle Shop, Play with Clay, Pokes by Gabs, Sarah Mallard (RMT), Shoppers Drug Mart (Fergus), Starbucks (Fergus), The Friendly Society, The Keg (Waterloo), The Sign Guy, True Auto, VUE Vision Therapy and Woodsong Studio.
