RYDE SPLASH PARK CAMPAIGNERS ENCOURAGE PUBLIC BACKING AS COUNCIL SET TO VOTE ON REOPENING

A group of campaigners are urging residents all over the Island to push their local Councillors to support a petition to reopen Ryde Splash Park in the build-up to a crunch Isle of Wight Council meeting later this week. 

The campaign was created in June 2025 by resident Charlotte Pugmire, who, alongside a team of past and present Councillors, has now raised the petition to over 3,500 signatures, securing its place on the Isle of Wight Council’s upcoming full agenda.

Earlier this year, the petition secured the backing of Ryde Town Council after councillors voted almost unanimously in favour of Councillor Michael Lilley’s proposal to support the Change.org petition to save the facility, which has fallen into disrepair.

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As previously reported by Island Echo, Ryde Splash Park, also known as Isaac Hayward’s Splash Park, opened in the early 2000’s and remained a free-to-use Paddling Pool and Water Play Area for all ages; however, following the end of its tenure with Waterside Community Trust, the area closed in 2022, with both Ryde Town Council and the Isle of Wight Council accepting no responsibility for it.

Now, just over a year after petitioning for the site to be restored and reopened, the group of campaigners will see the council vote on their motion and are encouraging locals in wards throughout the Island to urge their Councillors to vote positively.

Cllr Jen Hughes for Ryde South-East said:

We just want them to do the right thing and forget the last 6 years; we want to move forward.

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The agenda states that:

“Following receipt of the Ryde Splash Park Petition, the council acknowledges the strength of community support for the provision of accessible and inclusive play facilities in Ryde and confirms its commitment to working with the local community to consider the future of the site.”

In the meeting held this Wednesday (15th July), the council will confirm that any future scheme must be deliverable within available resources or through external funding secured for that purpose.

The group would like to give thanks to local businesses Newgents, who have promised to keep the area clean free of charge, as well as Southern Water, who have volunteered man-hours towards maintaining the site.

When speaking on the renovation, the group said the restoration would cost around £300,000, and they have plans to set up a QR code for donations to be made if families can afford it. Other funding would also be raised through allowing businesses to advertise on the barriers of the play area.

The £300,000 would see the area completely renovated, with a new pump system fitted as well as a new sprinkler system for children to play in.

Ryde Splash Park was originally opened in the early 2000s as a memorial to Isaac Hayward, a young disabled child whose love of water inspired the park’s design. Water play, particularly beneficial for children with additional needs, was central to the park’s inclusive ethos.

Isaac’s sister Tracey Hayward is a driving force behind the petition.