The ‘Friends of Spa Gardens and Spa Park’ are looking for some fresh colour and new life this spring.
Following a period of dormancy, the group are looking for volunteers to join their team to help care for the gardens.
The group, will be holding a meeting on Wednesday 26th March at 7pm in the Sun Parlour café in Spa Gardens, and are keen to speak to the community to hear their opinions on how the gardens could be developed and invite users and local residents to join their membership.
The ‘Friends of Spa Gardens and Spa Park’ was formed in 1999 to work closely with Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks service to ensure the gardens would meet the needs for users now, and in the future.
Jeremy Banyard, a long serving member of the group said: Although Ripon Spa Gardens continues to look beautiful, there is lots more we can do. Over the winter there has been some concerning anti-social behaviour in the gardens and the park and we want to work with the council to think about what can be done to improve things. We hope that the local Police will be able to attend our meetings which we think will be a big help.
Since its creation, the group have been fundamental in raising funds for the restoration of the Marquess of Ripon statue and War Memorial, supporting the delivery of the Spa Park play area and refurbishing the crazy golf, as well as numerous other initiatives. They have also been instrumental in helping the gardens obtain coveted Green Flag status – a prestigious award presented by the national environmental charity ‘Keep Britain Tidy’, which recognises the best green spaces at the heart of communities. In 2013 Ripon Spa Gardens were awarded their 14th consecutive Green Flag.
Councillor Pat Jones, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Sports said: The ‘Friends of Spa Gardens and Spa Park’ are dedicated to maintaining the gardens for the Ripon community, and we are indebted for their help.
The recent addition of the chainsaw carvings, depicting characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, has added to the visitor experience, but we are keen to look at how we can continue to develop the gardens to make visiting them even more memorable.
The group would like to hear from anyone who has any thoughts as to how the gardens can be improved and will offer a warm welcome for anyone interested in joining the group.
