Jubilee Park facelift gets go-ahead after successful fundraising campaign

The chairman of trustees at Woodhall Spa’s Jubilee Park has thanked ‘the whole community’ for supporting a successful bid to raise £680,000 for a long-awaited facelift.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Sep 2019, 11:00 BST
The proposals for Jubilee Park.The proposals for Jubilee Park.
The proposals for Jubilee Park.

The money will be used to repair and refurbish buildings next to the existing swimming pool, re-configure the internal layout and create the first phase of a health and fitness suite which will be open all year and help secure the park’s long term future.

The funding is made up of grants of £120,000 from Sport England, £160,000 of Leader funding, £50,000 of the park’s own funds and a £350,000 loan from Woodhall Spa Parish Council who have borrowed the money from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Emma Brealey, chairman of the Trustees of Jubilee Park Woodhall Spa Ltd (JPWS), said: “We’re absolutely delighted, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the whole community who have supported our project and especially the parish council for helping close the funding gap.

Most Popular

“I’d also like to thank those trustees who have spent four years tirelessly refining our business plan and searching out and applying for these grants.

“It seemed like a thankless task at times, but perseverance has won in the end.”

The parish council went ahead with the loan application after a positive response from the majority of residents to a consultation process.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The loan will be repaid over 20 years by JPWS to the council who, in turn, will repay the PWLB through a separate agreement - and a charge on the interest of the park’s lease.

Since taking charge in 2014, JPWS has transformed the park into a thriving enterprise with improved facilities and record visitor numbers. An outdoor swimming pool, camping and caravan facilities and a re-vamped children’s playground are among the many attractions.

However, JPWS, a self-supporting charity which receives no public funding, has always recognised that to secure the park’s long term financial future, it was essential to have some less weather dependent facilities.

The parish council expects to be in a position to release the loan funding this month and says it looks forward to the opening of the Health 
and Fitness suite in 2020.

Trustees are set to meet with builders to discuss start dates and finalise details.