6 months after Island Echo exclusively revealed that Ryde’s splash park would not open for the Summer, the entire future of the children’s play area appears to be in real jeopardy – as well as the adjoining Canoe Lake.
It was back in May of this year that Waterside Community Trust, which ran the Isaac Hayward Paddling Pool and Water Play Area, gave notice on its tenure due to the spiralling costs of keeping the park operational.
The park normally opens between May and September but this year – 1 of the hottest on record – it was closed for the entire Summer, much to the disappointment of local families. The splash park was created in the early 2000s in memory of 5-year-old Isaac Hayward. Waterside Pool took over the running of the park in 2014, with the Waterside Community Trust then becoming responsible for it when the Trust was formed in 2017.
Now, it has been confirmed that after 11 years the Waterside Community Trust (WCT) has walked away from the play area altogether with the reins handed back to the Isle of Wight Council, with fears growing the park may not open in 2023 either.
What will happen to the park remains unclear, however, it is known that Ryde Town Council has formed a working party to explore the options for taking over the running. Allan Bridges, Ryde Town Council’s business and development manager, has said the council remains an outside, yet interested party.
As owner, it is up to the Isle of Wight Council to decide what happens now. The local authority has confirmed the lease has been surrendered but has provided no further update.
It’s not just the splash park that is at risk though. This year, the Canoe Lake was missing its traditional swan pedalos as too much sediment has built up within the lake, meaning there is not enough clearance. This, alongside the fact that the pathway around the Canoe Lake is no longer cleaned, has raised much concern.
Last week the Canoe Lake was dangerously overflowing due to the failure of a pump that takes water out to sea. Island Echo is told that the pump hadn’t been maintained and it was only after F W Marsh voluntarily inspected and cleaned out the pump that the water levels were able to drop.
the local community wish to see their council tax money spent on preserving these two community assets, so that they can enjoy them in the summer, rather than see an endless stream of council tax money frittered away on lawyers for the floating bridge/dodgy benefit claimants, housing asylum seekers and fact finding missions to luxury resorts for councillors.
council – cut the bloat from your budgets and keep this running, after all, it is an asset that promotes healthier living for kids.
Close it. Costly waste of cash.
When the weather is nice enough to use that pool it is warm enough to take your choice of having a child onto the sand bank and play in the pools of water there
Bird flu is a huge risk with all the birds around the pool and whilst it is common practice for the benefit kept to sue local authorities try for once of thinking of your children first before the new phone , car or nail job.
Iow’er, NO, the Mothers wish to have thier cake and eat it too.
They want others to ‘entertain’ what they chose to bring into this world, whilst they sit, smoke, and on odd occasions look up from the screen to see if one of their swarm are still there.
Mothers, not muvvers, used to take their little ones onto the sand, walk out on the sandbanks and be pleased to talk, play and allow their children to ask questions which they answered.
Now many just use such ‘gatherings’ as a meeting place to collectively rely on others to tend their offspring so they don’t have to.
IF they want it then a private company ought to provide it and they PAY for it, they are given thousands in benefits for having children, hence so many do now
I expect this corrupt council will just then say “the canoe lake” will have to go as well, and then guess what, up will go an eyesore of holiday flats for the second homeowners as usual.
I asked before, but surely it’s possible to get a sponsor for the park? Yes, it would probably have to have advertising panels around the side, but is that so bad?
During the summer months it must be possible to get an ice cream van down there and take a payment from the ice cream vendor. With all the kids, the vendor would make money and the pool owners would get a share too. They do this at schools now too.
There’s possibly also local volunteers who might help with maintenance, or a local company in return for free advertising?
It can’t honestly cost that much to maintain.
Surely we don’t have to shut everything down? There must be ways and means, with a bit of thought or imagination, of keeping these things open.
Newgents external cleaning, cleaned the splash park every year for the last 4 years for free ♂️
Nobody wants it cos there’s no money income stream coming from it. And it will sit there getting worse waiting for some central government grant scheme to bail it out, like East Cowes.
Dear NBTT….you are incorrect that nobody wants it. Ryde Town Council and it’s citizens very much wish to preserve and reopen the Splash Park, after it was abandoned by the Waterside Community Trust recently. Despite having surplus funds, WCT have chosen not to invest in planned maintenance on this site for a number of years, to the point where it doesn’t meet legal requirements to ensure the safety of the children and parents who wish to use it. It is owned by the Isle of Wight Council, as is the canoe lake, and despite RTC not having any responsibility for these assets they are actively seeking solutions.. There are some really good positive ideas in this comment thread.
It’s ok, the bus company are getting a new bus station thanks to our tax money.
This is such a large feature in Ryde, and one does wonder what has happend to the Trust Fund monies. I cannot believe they didn’t open it up in the hottest summer this year. There is more to investigate in this announcement than meets the eye.
Ryde Town Council can waste thousands of taxpayer’s pounds on buying an empty church in Ryde, which is of no use to any anybody, but something that benefits the community remains shut /closed as they don’t recognise this as a value to the community.
Clr Lilley and Co your silence speaks volumes!!
Should always have been a Council responsibility, not to be leased out.
Why not paddle in the miles of beautiful coast at Ryde. It is one of great things about Ryde.
Make, NOT buy some sandwiches, IF you are sooo poor, sit on the warm sand next Summer, make up a bottle of squash for a little picnic.
Put your phone away, hold their hand and paddle in the sea and enjoy being with your child and maybe one or two will grow up normal, instead of relying on Siri to answer their questioning minds.
Then they will be healthy, happy, and you won’t be spending too much and more importantly, neither will WE in funding a costly unnecessary dribble of un-hygienic water.
Come on ill chip in if everyone else will. I don’t just mean money. I mean keeping it tidy! We can make all of this worth saving surely!! Taking some pride in our home. We cannot just let it go to rack and ruin and rely on the council for fix everything for us!!!
Great, another housing estate on the cards then
he council really amaze me.. they say they want to bring tourists to this Island.. yet they close the public loos, now this pool and the boating lake, which the smell from it is disgusting.. .. please inform us why we pay council tax ?? Council owned premises are all being put to private tenders… yet the council increase council tax… what DO the council actually do themselves these days ??