There will be no splashing at Ryde’s children’s water park again this Summer as the once-popular attraction is set to remain closed for the third season in a row. The Isaac Haywards play area, opened in the early 2000s in memory of the 5-year-old, is normally open between May and September each year. But in May 2022, Waterside Community Trust gave notice on its tenure due to the spiralling costs of keeping the park operational. Despite talks between the Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council, the splash park failed to re-open for Summer 2023, as previously reported by Island Echo. Now, it has been confirmed that the seafront play area is unlikely to open in 2024 due to safety concerns, much to parents’ dismay. The park has fallen into a state of disrepair with moss and grass growing on the rubber floors, whilst the paint on the fence and perimeter has also started flaking. Graffiti is now also evident. 
As well as the visible problems, it’s known the pumping equipment is in need of replacement at a significant cost. In 2019, Island Echo reported that vital equipment was failing with the plant room described as ‘very old’ with works to repair and maintain it costing thousands of pounds. When the coronavirus pandemic came along in 2020 the pool remained closed, with the pumps and pipework sitting dormant for an extended period of time. The park re-opened in 2021 but it was with a temporary hosepipe running out of the pump house. A splash bucket installed in 2018/2019 still wasn’t working – and never has done. Last year it was said that the Councils were liaising with the community to seek options for moving the site forward in the future. But 12 months on, it appears nothing has happened. An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson has told Island Echo:
“The Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council are dedicated to the regeneration of Ryde’s esplanade area. “We understand the community’s eagerness for the Splash Park’s return. However, our commitment to safety and well-being is paramount, and due to safety concerns, the park remains closed. “The newly formed independent Town Board will soon communicate the local area investment strategy, which will highlight community priorities in Ryde. “We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we continue to explore avenues for the site’s future development”.
In more positive news, the sand park at Appley has finally re-opened for the 2024 season following maintenance works. 
Good. Waste of money. Let the ‘muvers’ use some of that huge amount of tax credits to buy a cheap paddling pool for their offspring which WE all fund, that or take them down to the sea, and paddle in the water.
Sick of paying more council tax for spongers who pay in the least, take out the most, and whinge for more.
So many parents are claiming so much for so called ailments for their children, often messed up by bad parenting, or drugs taken near conception that now any council can’t afford to fund these high maintenance offspring and waste money on their entertainment as well.
Many pay little rent or council tax but expect and get the most out of society.
Thumbs down won’t remove the unpalatable truth.
Could you be any more judgmental? Not all mothers are on benefits. Some fathers actually do things with their children as well, believe it or not. Let’s shut down all the play areas shall we, just in case a “muver” on benefits has the audacity to give her child a childhood and let that child play there.
Where does our Council tax money go?, it should be open
Stop wasting money on the Floating Bridge etc
It IS ‘open”.
Look it up.
It goes on pointless meetings with pointless people making pointless decisions if any are ever made.
Where are the waste bins and public conveniences? Island becoming 4th world
What a joke!!!
Other then the pumping equipment needing too be changed. I would happily spend a week of my time de-weeding, sanding and painting this for all too enjoy. Would anyone else be up for a challenge, to try and get this area into a safe and joyful place again. Maybe a bit of crowd funding to get the pumps changed and pay towards some new paint. Does anyone have any ideas? Such a shame that this has happened and the council don’t want to maintain. Shame on you Isle of Wight council
It definitely is a shame but you only have to see what’s happened to the toilets in Ryde to know that whatever is done there will soon be destroyed by the mindless adolescents of today.
John I’m with you, and would happily volunteer my time but those jobs worth pricks in county hall would rather waste money, then invest in the community .. sorry kids .. but this short sighted council are not fit for purpose ..
Bravo John. I’d be happy to roll my sleeves up and join in. It’s such a waste of an asset that can’t be that hard to sort out. Maybe the start of a vigilante community action group that gets stuff done?..
Hopefully we can get something arranged
If I can be of any assistance, please let me know John when you are going down to the paddling pool, cheers
Hopefully we can get something arranged
Does anyone know how to go about arranging some sort of DIY week down there?? I fear that if a group of us went down to start refreshing the place, we would probably all be done for vandalism by the very council that won’t sort this mess out. If someone can start some sort of page maybe on Wightbay to find volunteers and a rough start date I think that would be a good start. I do agree with most of the comments here. It should be the parish or the council that should be sorting this out not the local community. I dread to think what holiday makers must think when they arrive here. Most of the shops shut, most of the hotels burned down and everything in between run down to the ground. I bet it’s not like that on roads that our MPs live on
I would gladly help. I expect Gérard would be there like a shot, too.
So this bloody useless council spend millions on the waste of time that is the Interchange at Ryde, but can’t keep up a play area for visitors and locals, absolutely ridiculous. Of course no one will say anything against Jerk Jordan, if they do they stand a good chance of being bellowed at and told to leave the room like a naughty schoolboy, and Jerk Jordan plays a fantastic school bully. Get rid of this damn council.
Shame monies were wasted in my opinion on the purchase of a church !,but then again Ryde Town Council didn’t buy it, but they did ?.
I really hope some of the Millions for the regeneration of Ryde is allocated to projects like the splash park as suggested in the article, giving it longevity in the community.
Such a shame, my daughter used to love it there in the summer, surely Ryde Town Council can come up with a solution, I’m sure local trades will contribute to the refurbishment with a small advertisement on the railings
Mostly state funded children seem to be the main users of this unsavoury pool. Perhaps the parents if the ‘father’ is known, or still around, could try paying and using the swimming pool, instead of expecting everyone else to fund their children’s entertainment.
The tattooed, vaping, overweight Mothers I have witnessed there whilst walking my dog were hardly an asset to the area, and highly likely it is some of their older benefit kept children who vandalise the area and public toilets on a constant basis.
So save the money wasted on this, and use it to fund what these ‘little ones’ will likely be damaging in a few short years as fun instead of splashing is smashing.
Those who pay tax have had enough.
And what are YOU contributing to the health and happiness of us all, with your deeply misanthropic effort?
Another derelict looking place on the island,I feel sorry for the tourists who spend hundreds off pounds to get here to this embarrassing island
Yet the council can waste money on buildings that are not being used. Or wasting money on the useless floating bridge.
Huge cost?. Ryde is dead and neither Town Council or IOW Council are doing anything,no toilets,no play park,huge carparking costs and terrible bus station for elderly or disabled – turn over of tourists will dry and businesses will close. Council will get less income etc.
No waste bins or cleaning away from Costa. Rubbish constantly dropped on bin day and left.
Where is the money going?
What an absolute shame for the children
What’s the opposite of regeneration? Seems to be that in this case, not sure what the council are waffling on about.
This is an absolute disgrace as are some of the comments on here. Why should any children be deprived of this small opportunity to play.
Again I say get rid of at least half of the councillors and there would be founds available
So you’re telling me that Southern Water were carrying out works along that very stretch of the seafront where the play park is located for several months, causing huge disruption to the immediate vicinity as a result of their own chronic under-investment, and nobody from the council thought to instruct them to replace the pump needed for this attraction?
Even if they had quoted, I doubt it would have been big money. Still, I expect there’s not a lot left in the council budget after the brown envelopes have been filled and dished out.
Again, I thought purpose of town and parish councils was for them to do clean up, repairs etc as a group of volunteers?. Like,neither Councils do anything except fund get rich companies, Why do councils pay more for trades etc than jo public?.
Public toilets need to be stainless steel, simple and strong. Alarms fitted to sense shock ie kicking/ punching etc, smoke alarm and CCTV entry/exit point. When an offender then caught, they are given hefty fines and unpaid work cleaning public toilets be they teenagers or adults. Do the crime and you can do the punishment.
We should all be collectively ashamed that this has been allowed to happen because it is in memory of a young 5 year old boy…
If it was a royal memorial itll have it’s own personal butler daily cleaning it etc
Just remember that when you comment using politics and racism
Tory Brittan where it’s easier to blame fictional benefit scroungers than to call out the Tories for stripping the county of all it’s wealth.
I think Southern Water should pay for the refurbishment and the upkeep of this splash park. They have polluted the sea at Appley and Ryde and could, at least, provide somewhere, reasonably hygienic for young children to play in.
It’s a disgrace, that our sea has become so polluted – an area that was free to go to and enjoyed by many different generations.
Wonderfull come to the crap isle of wight for the most expensive holiday ever worn out broken dump going.pathetic.
Like everything else the Council is involved in. Run down, Broken, and derelict.
Useless lot.
It has proved too costly to run. Especially as other projects owned by the council such as the Town Hall and Vectis Hall have been left to ruin. Money spent on restoring these would benefit more people of all ages. I am sorry if this would mean the loss of the Isaac Haywood memorial site, but just east of the harbour wall is a smashing area for kids. The tide goes out for hours and reveals many natural splash and play pools only several inches deep. There is a sandbank for parents to oversee them. The council already provide a box full of ‘Borrow & Return’ beach toys for the kids. As for Isaac’s family, maybe a plaque attached to the seawall and a small area of the beach surrounding these natural splash pools, to be named in his memory.
Nice sensible statement ginger Kev.
The only problem is the benefit sponging mothers don’t want to put themselves out.
So if effort or walking two minutes from the disability provided car for one of the ‘ism’ Sen children is involved, then unless the child has a state paid for care worker take it, it’s unlikely that the mother will.
They don’t want to entertain what THEY bought into the world but want it all laid on now.
Remember you as kid pure white , ginger hair.
Why can’t they contact the probation service? This seems a perfect project for people who do unpaid work. I personally done that last year where I cleaned up a children’s park in East Cowes as well as a children’s play area at a school in Brading amongst other projects. I found it very rewarding.