An exciting water based splash park has officially opened to all members of the public over the weekend.
The new & free splash park is located in Priory Memorial Gardens, Royston and will stay open over the summer months. The splash park includes features such as a May pole, interactive water jets and even play streams – perfect for young children and their families to enjoy.
The Splash Park came about after dedicated campaigning by a group led by Cathryn Jaffray. Surveys were undertaken outside of schools, presentations were made to the council and Facebook groups were established. It is a fantastic story of the local community working together to achieve something wonderful.
North Hertfordshire District Council’s (NHDC) Cllr Jane Gray with the Leader of the Council, Cllr Lynda Needham, Sarah Dingley, Royston’s Town Mayor, along with other councillors and guests, attended a special opening ceremony on Thursday 9th June, to celebrate the completion of the work. Whilst they were there, they had the chance to chat with the contractors, Sun Safe Play Systems Ltd and see the new facilities in action before the final safety inspections were carried out.
Cllr Jane Gray, NHDC’s Executive Member for Leisure, said: “We conducted extensive consultations with the Royston community to establish the type of facilities the public wanted to see before creating the initial park designs and we are now delighted to see those designs become a reality. There is now a grand total of three splash parks open in North Herts and another one is due to open soon in Hitchin. Royston’s water splash park joins the parks in Avenue Park, Baldock and Howard Park and Gardens, Letchworth, creating more opportunities for free play for families across the District during the summer months”.
Cathryn Jaffray says “I am beyond thrilled to see the Splash Park opening this summer! Running the Facebook group has been an amazing uplifting experience, seeing how our families can pull together and do something positive for our children. I really look forward to seeing 1,625 members of the Facebook group enjoying it with their loved ones.”
North Herts District Council will be holding a ‘Fun in the Park’ event to help celebrate the opening of Royston’s water splash park. There will be opportunities for children to take part in exciting activities including sporting challenges, inflatable fun with a bouncy castle or getting messy in the arts and crafts areas. There will also be organised games and active play equipment such as balance boards, pogo sticks and stilts. Fun for all the family!
As the splash park is now open to everyone to play in, we went down to see what members of the public & their families think of the new addition so far…
Jenna Johnson of Royston says: “I think it’s really good and I’m really glad that it’s been built. It means that summer is finally sorted!”
“It’s fabulous and I’m glad that it’s finally happened after all this time. Not many towns have this, so it’s nice for Royston to get it’s very own water feature. I think it’s going to get a lot more popular over the summer, so I think more benches for the parents and rubbish bins should be provided – just to ensure the area is cleaner.” Fran McGowen, Royston.
“The new splash park is going to be a huge hit this summer. It’s so lovely to be able to take the kids somewhere without having to drive. 
Thank you everyone involved with getting Royston such a wonderful addition to our town.” Lisa Stanway
