‘Let’s do it right’: Fundraiser launched to improve Kidwells skatepark plan

A long-awaited redevelopment of the Kidwells skatepark is edging closer – but a campaigner says extra funding is needed to make it the best it can be for the future.

Tom Wright, who has been part of Maidenhead’s skateboarding scene since the 1990s, previously raised concerns about the state of the skatepark and work has been ongoing on a plan to give it major refresh.

Now that £200,000 has been allocated by the Royal Borough for a new skatepark – which Tom described as ‘amazing’ – he is leading a fundraising push to top up the balance some more.

“I was told by several of the best skatepark builders in the country – and Skateboard GB, the UK’s skateboarding governing body – that to build a new skatepark you need at least £280,000,” he said.

Using a budget of £200,000, the park can only be partially resurfaced and will retain some of the existing elements.

It would also be smaller. Tom says the overall size is reduced by around a third, and plans show the park will be 30m by 13.5m.

“It’s very hard to buy a park that size with that budget,” Tom said. “We are lucky in as much as we already have an existing space for a skate park – which means money isn’t being used on creating a completely new space.

“But it still seems a shame not to use this opportunity to do it the best we can.”

Maverick Skateparks, a respected national builder, is set to deliver the new skatepark and designs have been drawn up and shared with the community.

The plan is for new park to be made mostly of concrete – a quieter and more durable surface than the old metal ramps that have made up Kidewells’ skatepark.

Concrete surfaces and structures could last for 30 years, double to three times as long as alternatives.

The old skatepark had become increasingly rundown in the past several years, with some ramps removed due to safety concerns.

Tom said this means many skilled users – including BMX riders – have stopped coming.

Community feedback during the designs has been positive, but there are concerns people may be surprised when they see how much space has been lost.

Cllr Jack Douglas, cabinet member for communities and leisure, shares these concerns.

“I’m worried that when it’s built, they’ll look at it again and say, ‘It’s smaller than we thought,’” he said. “The question is how we get it right. It’s more a case of getting it right than getting it quick.”

In terms of funding, he added that there’s ‘no [extra] money lying around’ that RBWM could offer – the £200,000 was tied to legal agreements between the council and the Magnet site developer.

For these Section 106 agreements, developers agree to fund specific community improvements as part of the deal for getting planning permission.

There are other avenues of funding, such as from charities and Tom’s fundraiser.

Tom agrees about taking the time to get it right – saying that even this process of fundraising and changing the design adds another six or seven months to the timescale for building the skatepark, it’s worth it to make sure what ends up there is as good as it can be.

He has now launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to rustle up whatever money he can.

“Even if we can’t resurface the whole park in concrete, something like adding floodlights would really help, especially in the winter when it’s dark and [young people] are coming after college or school,” Tom said.

This project is about more than skateboarding for Tom.

“It’s giving people of Maidenhead – especially young people – an activity which is completely free and in the centre of town,” he said. “This [rebuild] would make the skatepark such a positive place to be.”

A design for the new skatepark can be viewed at: maverickskateparks.co.uk/maidenhead 

Visit the crowdfunding page at tinyurl.com/4chvnbvh