The generosity of Purbeck residents has helped Swanage Skatepark Community Project (SSCP) to raise £20,000 – it’s first target towards its main aim of £200,000 – and organisers are now planning the next phase.
The £20,000 raised through its Crowdfunder joins a pledge of £15,000 from Swanage Town Council and brings the total raised so far to £35,000.
Swanage Skatepark is used by scooters, BMX bikes and rollerskaters as well as skateboarders
Another open day planned
Ideally, SSCP is aiming to raise £200,000 towards rebuilding Swanage Skatepark, funding new, more inclusive equipment at King George Playing Fields, after a number of ramps had to be removed in 2023 when they became unsafe to use.
The Crowdfunder project reached its first target on July 7th 2024 less than three months after being launched, securing an extra £6,000 from Sports England, and opening the way towards further funding.
This was helped by an open day, in June 2024, which drew hundreds of supporters to the park.
The project’s organisers say they will now spend the summer writing grant applications – which could see more than £30,000 of extra funds being secured – as well as planning a further community day at the skatepark for autumn 2024.
There’s also going to be an opportunity for companies to sponsor the new skatepark and have their logo displayed on the new ramps and equipment. The plan has just been approved and more details of the scheme will be released soon.
Displays by some of the top wheeled sports stars in Dorset were staged at the June open day
Heidi Florence, second from left, along with SSCP leaders James Woodford and Lorna Haines
“We’d love to see a Phase One build by spring”
Secretary of Swanage Skatepark Community Project (SSCP) Heidi Florence, said:
“The main priority over the next couple of months is to focus our efforts on writing three grant applications which will take a lot of time.
“If one or two of those come over the line we would have enough funds for some sort of phase one build – but we won’t find out the success of those applications until November, when we’ll have a better idea of where we are financially.
“And because the skate park is on land owned by Swanage Town Council, we need to work with the council to discuss how to procure a park builder to work on the project – even once we have the money it won’t be as simple as putting the ramps in straight away.
“We would love to see a Phase One build going in by spring 2025, but I recognise that it might be a little later than that now I’m getting used to the reality of how long these things actually take!”
The June open day was backed by local charity #Willdoes, and SSCP hope to collaborate more in the future: #Willdoes founder Lesley Paddy (left) with Donna-Marie Smart from SSCP
Fundraising has been a true Swanage community effort
“Campaign was a true community effort”
Heidi Florence said:
“Reaching our Crowdfunder target was crucial not only to secure match funding from Sport England, but also to show grant-giving organisations that our community strongly supports the project.
“Potential funders will want to see that the skatepark is desired and backed by the community, and our Crowdfunder campaign clearly demonstrates this.
“The campaign was a true community effort with local businesses offering rewards as an incentive for donations, and in addition Swanage Badminton Club, Tilly’s Ice Cream and Skate Not Bored all contributed generously to the donations.
“The work of Swanage Town and Community Partnership focuses on creating a vibrant, friendly community for everyone. Recent meetings have been focused on development of a youth strategy, and it was clear that the Swanage Skatepark Community Project is a key piece of that puzzle.”
The skatepark is a vibrant, friendly community for all ages
“Bigger project than any of us envisioned”
SSCP is appealing for more volunteers to help keep the skatepark in the public eye by building more website content, creating social media posts, and helping to push the park to greater things.
Heidi added:
“We are a very small group and the work that needs doing takes a lot of time – mostly online, keeping our website updated, posting on social media, writing press releases.
“It has become a much bigger project than any of us envisioned. A lot of us are drawn to it because we love skating and using the skatepark, but unfortunately most of the work that needs doing right now means spending time behind a computer.
“We’re so grateful to the community for supporting our fundraising efforts. Thanks to this collective effort, we not only reached our Crowdfunder target but have succeeded in giving Swanage Skatepark a sense of identity, and skatepark users feel like they belong to something.
“Running the Crowdfunder campaign and hosting our first Community Day have laid the foundations for building the vibrant skate community we want to see in Swanage.”
Further information
- The Crowdfunder page for Swanage Skatepark is still open for donations
- Volunteers are being sought to help build up the skatepark’s website