Plans revealed for new skate park in Raunds as crowdfunding campaign launched this week

Raunds Town Council is asking for the public’s help as plans are revealed for a new skate park in Amos Lawrence Park.

A working group met before Christmas in the town hall to discuss the project, and plans are moving along to replace the one that reached the end of its life in 2020.

Since the previous timber ramps were decommissioned, the site at Amos Lawrence Park has sat vacant, and the new plans hope to bring the benefits of a skate park back to the town.

Cllr Ollie Curtis, chairman of Raunds Skate Park Working Group said: "Skateboarding and other wheeled sports are widely recognised as a positive way of promoting exercise, maintaining good physical and mental health and providing pathways to other activities that establish lifelong active and healthy behaviours.

"The facility will encourage users to challenge themselves physically and will promote enjoyment through learning in terms of how to overcome obstacles and use energy creatively.

“The park will also provide a safe and attractive place for young people to gather, which the council is confident will play a significant role in improving community safety, particularly contributing to reductions in anti-social behaviour.”

The project will cost approximately £280,000, with Raunds Town Council having currently raised around £200,000, and is now asking the public to help contribute to the cost to ensure the plans become a reality.

An image of the initial design has been shared by the council, but it is not necessarily the final design, as the contractor is planning to host consultations with the public in the future.

Cllr Curtis added: "We very much want the future users of the park to decide on what the facility should ultimately look like.

"The process has taken some time due to the pandemic and the significant increase in construction costs, but great progress has already been made and a final push is now required in order to get the funding over the line.”

Turning to the public for help, a crowdfunding page has gone live.

There is no confirmation on when ground will be broken on the project, but Cllr Curtis insists the council and contractor are ‘united in their ambition to commence the construction of the skate park at the earliest available opportunity.’

The crowdfunding page can be found here.