Pumptrack at Kings Cliffe Active

Aim

To build a Pumptrack for the children and young people of the village and area to be active and have fun cycling, scooting or skateboarding

Pumptrack at Kings Cliffe Active

Our plan is to build a pumptrack at Kings Cliffe Active, which will provide a much-needed facility for activity and exercise for children and young people of all ages in the village and surrounding local communities.

Why do we need one?

Every parent is conscious of the amount of screen time their children are having, and wants to encourage youngsters to get outside more, exercise, and spend more time playing with their friends in the real world, instead of virtually.

The local children in the village of Kings Cliffe have directly approached us, asking for one to be built as it is something they’d love to be able to use regularly.

Having a pumptrack would:

• Give children and young people a place to congregate away from busy roads and houses
• Provide opportunities for children to exercise while having fun with friends
• Allow parents to get their children out on their bikes while being able to accompany them in a safe and friendly environment

You can help make this a reality for those children.

What is a Pumptrack?

A pumptrack is a circuit of rollers and banked turns and is designed to be ridden completely by riders ‘pumping’ - which involves generating momentum by up and down body movements - instead of pedalling.

Popular with mountain bike and BMX riders, they are also enjoyed by skateboarders and scooters and are accessible to wheelchairs, thanks to their concrete or asphalt surface.

They can also be enjoyed by a variety of ages and skill levels.

Watch the video below for more information on pumptracks!

Community impact

This project is a direct result of parents of children and young people in the village approaching the charity in November 2021. Those children currently have to travel to places like Corby or Desborough to access these facilities.

It will provide a space where children and young people can be active together with their friends, and with other children and young people, be that on balance bikes, BMXs, mountain bikes, scooters, or skateboards. These kids will be active rather than in front of a screen, and active in Kings Cliffe, rather than relying on travelling to urban areas to enjoy the same activity.

Consultation with the community through a number of channels confirmed the interest, and this was totally backed up by local children and young people when a portable pump track was hired by KCA for a day in the 2021 Christmas holidays. Those that attended have been asking what is happening ever since.

Since then we have been busy fundraising and obtaining quotes for the building of a pumptrack, with a view to building it in the space on our site specifically designated for children and young people, currently where the kick-about goals and basketball hoop is.

Inspiring activity

Everyone is inspired by the performance of our athletes at events like the Olympic Games – in Tokyo especially the BMX and skateboarding - and Commonwealth Games.   

The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was such a wonderful event which also highlighted and celebrated the great sense of community and pride in the city.  Our fundraising is all about further improving the facilities for sport and physical activity in our local area for the residents of Kings Cliffe and the local villages.  

And this Crowdfunding campaign is an opportunity for the local community to help contribute to ‘getting us over the line’, which we hope will result in a great sense of ownership, and pride in our community working together and enhancing the feeling of it being a great place to live.

How you can play your part

There are two simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge

• Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word

• Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

If you are a local business, you could offer rewards and discounts to those that donate and encourage larger donations. We will give you a shout out if you do!

Why are we crowdfunding?

After receiving three quotes, we elected to go with Clark & Kent - the builders of the London 2012 BMX track - to build ours, with the total cost £93,268 (+VAT).

Already we have secured:

• £50,000 from the Augean Community Fund
• £5,000 from the Bernard Sunley Foundation
• £25,000 from the FCC Communities Foundation 

We have support from our local North Northamptonshire Councillors, and we have a couple of other small grant applications we are waiting to have confirmed. But we are now very close, and this Crowdfunding campaign is to ensure that we reach our target and are able to deliver to the young people that are so keen to see this happen.

How we’ll spend the money raised 

The money raised will enable us to commission Clark & Kent to build our pumptrack. We would like this to start as soon as possible, so that we have the pumptrack open for this summer. The money raised will contribute to the costs of the build.

It will enable us to make our contributing third party payment, which is necessary to draw down our grants from Augean and FCC Communities. Any surplus will be used to improve the space around the pump track, including,

• Lighting
• Shelters
• Bike racks
• 3x3 basketball court

The suggested layout for our pump track

Who are we?

Kings Cliffe Active is the community sports and recreation facility for the village and local area. It is a volunteer-run charity working hard to improve the facilities and support new and different activities which are attractive and accessible for the local residents of our rural area.

We have two grass football pitches, MUGA, netball and tennis courts, and children's play equipment, and within the Pavilion two community rooms (with kitchens, from one we operate a community café) and a gym and changing facilities.

This project successfully funded on 12th February 2023