Summary

Help us rebuild Swanage Skatepark and give our young people the opportunities they deserve! This crowdfunding campaign will help us unlock larger amounts of match funding taking us closer to our fundraising target.

• A large portion of the ramps became unsafe and were removed by Swanage Town Council in February 2023. Swanage Town Council re-surfaced a large area of the park and have committed £15k towards new ramps but this isn't anywhere near enough. 
• Therefore the Swanage Skatepark Community Project are fundraising on a local and national level for new and improved equipment.
• In Spring 2023 Swanage Skatepark Community Project (SSCP) formed. We're a small group of volunteers led by Lorna Haines who has a legacy of fundraising for Swanage Skatepark. We're Swanage Skatepark users who are passionate about rebuilding and improving the space. 
• We know our community wants Swanage Skatepark! We ran a consultation survey over the summer in 2023 with 170 responses all in support of improving the skatepark and holding community events in the space. Based on the consultation, we created a design brief that we circulated to ramp builders who helped us set a fundraising target for our project. 
• We aim to raise £200k for new Skatelite ramps in the large empty space in the park and fill a smaller currently empty section of the park with new ramps too. This will make our park even bigger and better than before.  
• This Crowdfunding campaign makes an important contribution! If we hit our funding target, we can access £6k in match funding from Sport England. This will give us a great start on our funding journey!
• Please donate what you can to help make this happen. You can make a donation or exchange a donation for a reward gifted by local businesses (see right hand side of this page). Every donation you make helps to show bigger funding organisations that our community is in support of rebuilding the skatepark. 

What is SSCP? 

• Swanage skatepark Community Project (SSCP) is made up of a small group of volunteers who came together in 2023 to get the empty section of Swanage Skatepark rebuilt. 
• In January 2024 we became a project of the Swanage and Purbeck Development Trust, this means we're a registered charity. 
• We are working closely with Swanage Town Council to make sure they support our plans and can help us to make this happen.
• Alongside fundraising for the skatepark we are volunteering our time to contribute to the development of the Swanage Youth Strategy led by National Trust. 
• Swanage Skatepark has a long history of grassroots community funding led by Lorna Haines. Over several decades, Lorna’s dedication and determination has raised £150k for the skatepark which has been enjoyed by many generations of young people. Lorna's legacy continues as Chairperson of SSCP.

Why Swanage Skatepark needs new ramps...

• We're lucky that we have a big area for Swanage Skatepark! However 50% of the skatepark is now empty. The absence of a street and flow section with ramps of a variety of heights means the current equipment is inaccessible and intimidating for beginners. This means a new generation of skatepark users are missing out on the benefits of using a skatepark. 
• 170 people voiced strong support to rebuild the skatepark with a mixture of transition and street equipment in response to our survey carried out in 2023. We know our community want the empty space to be filled!
• When the skatepark is rebuilt, we can focus all our efforts on organising community events that will deliver improved social cohesion for Swanage. Skateparks are rare because they provide an opportunity for adults and young people to build relationships as equals. 
• Mental health is the leading reason young people in Swanage visit a GP and the Children’s Society reports the likelihood of young people having mental health issues has increased by 50%. Using skateparks can build confidence, improve physical health and create better mental wellbeing. 
• Locally, the Swanage Youth and Community Strategy identified various issues for our young people that the skatepark helps provide a solution for. Swanage is isolated with a lack of public transport and provision of services for 14-18 year olds. The cost of living crisis and high instances of families living in poverty is impacting young people living in the area. The skatepark is a free facility!  
• As well as raising money for new ramps and equipment, SSCP plans to host free events in the skatepark to improve accessibility for beginners and give more people the opportunity to benefit from using the skatepark. This isn't just about benefiting our young people, we know from our survey that there are plenty of older skaters or aspiring adult beginners in our community too.
• Parents, this is a great opportunity for your kids to have access to a free facility so they can learn a wheeled sport! For Swanage residents, rebuilding the skatepark and an inclusive community around it could contribute to less anti-social behaviour. 
• In 2020 Dorset police and crime commissioner (PCC) Martyn Underhill identified cuts to youth services in the UK as being responsible for a rise by a third in the number of young people entering the youth justice system. A great skatepark facility could inspire more young people to take up wheel based sport as a hobby which gives them the opportunity to be creative, productive and physically active. As a result this draws young people away from crime and potentially other damaging activities.
  
  

How will we spend the money?

• The money raised from this Crowdfunding campaign will help to unlock match funding, including £6k from Sport England towards the total cost of our project.
• In addition, we are continually seeking funding from a variety of local and national sources. 
• This crowdfunding campaign is important as it shows funders there is local support for Swanage Skatepark. 
• When we hit our fundraising target. Swanage Town Council will run a public tender. With our support and guidance, the council will select a ramp builder to deliver the project. At this point another public consultation will take place so our community can have their say on the final design.

We need your help!

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

1. Donate or make a pledge. Momentum is key to making this campaign a success, so please do so quickly!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on social media and tell family, friends and your employer to help get the world behind us! 

3. Can your business offer a reward? Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser e.g. a cake sale or a sponsored run, click on the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know.  

Thank you for your support!