Wadebridge asks non-residents to help pay for new play area

If you’ve ever pushed a buggy round Egloshayle Playing Fields, used the toilets on the Platt, or parked in one of Wadebridge’s car parks without living inside the town boundary, this appeal is aimed at you too.

A small boundary, a big ask

Wadebridge Town Council has launched a crowdfunder for a new fully inclusive play area, and it’s framing the appeal around a map. The council shared an outline of the Wadebridge parish boundary, a modest loop taking in the town itself along with Egloshayle and Bodieve, and pointed out a simple fact: that boundary is the only place anyone contributes towards the services the council runs.

The council’s income comes from the precept, the part of council tax that funds it, plus takings from car parks and room hire. That covers the everyday running of the town. It was never designed to bankroll a capital project like a new play area without either a steep council tax rise or cuts elsewhere, and the council says it doesn’t think either is the right answer.

Why the Lottery couldn’t help

The council had been quietly setting money aside for the project and applied to the National Lottery for support. After what it describes as some positive discussions, the Lottery was sadly unable to fund it.

That’s the gap the crowdfunder is trying to close. Every pound raised through it, the council says, is a pound it doesn’t have to borrow, which it argues means a lower burden on residents for years to come.

Used by everyone, paid for by few

The council’s point is that its play areas, toilets, car parks and community spaces aren’t just used by people who live within that small parish boundary. They’re used by people from villages across the wider area, and by visitors from much further afield, none of whom put anything towards the upkeep.

A fully inclusive play area means children of all abilities can play together, on equipment built to last. The council is calling it a long-term investment rather than a quick win, one that will be enjoyed by children from all over, and it wants everyone who stands to benefit, wherever they live, to be part of making it happen.

What the council is asking for

The council is careful to say it isn’t asking anyone to stretch beyond what they can afford, acknowledging that times are difficult for a lot of people right now. But it says even a small contribution genuinely helps.

The crowdfunder, Jubilee Park: Inclusive Play for All, is live now. The council’s message to anyone who has ever used its parks, its car parks or its play equipment, whichever side of that orange line they live on, is the same: thank you for helping make this happen.