Craven District Council Budget Consultation 2019/20 – Have your say!

Craven District Council want to hear your views about how they spend Your money. As FOAP we have made a Committee response, which we have shared with you below.

But we would encourage you all to fill in the questionnaire as individual residents too and have your say, and if you feel that Aireville Park is important as we do, please let them know, and feel free to use our response for any inspiration.

The survey takes less than 15 mins to complete and the deadline for responses is midnight Sunday 14th October 2018 and is available to view here

 

As the Friends of Aireville Park (FOAP) we appreciate that the council faces continued cuts and financial pressures but we would like to clearly state that FOAP are a small group of volunteers who juggle this role alongside family commitments and other paid employment and would not take on the responsibility of landowner or service provider for Aireville Park. Frankly, we do not have the relevant resources, experience or skills to replace the number of Craven District Council Officers and departments that currently cover Aireville Park.

We can continue to support the Council and fund raise toward the capital costs of improving Aireville Park and would like to see a continued commitment and financial forecasting from the Council within this budget to cover the ongoing revenue and maintenance costs of both existing and any new assets. Including the new play area, that was identified by, and delivered as part of the agreed Aireville Park master plan.

As we have highlighted with previous consultation responses to the Draft Local Plan and previous budgets, Craven District Council now have an agreed Master Plan for the park, developed after widespread stakeholder consultation. With increased development proposed, and here prioritised, for the District we want to ensure that as well as improvements to the park for local people there are sufficient resources for these to be managed in a sustainable way so that any increased pressures in the future from a growing population does not have a negative impact on the park. Aireville Park is a key community asset for the people of Skipton and the surrounding area and also provides an amenity for visitors and tourists from further afield. The new play area will greatly enhance this offer and attract even more visitors. It is an important green space, free and accessible to all, that provides an important health and well-being function for our community.

We hope you will take these comments in to consideration as part of the budget consultation

 

We did it!

Congratulations to the hundreds of Santas who completed the 2017 Great Santa Fun Run, including our very own Friends of Aireville Park team. And MANY THANKS to all the people who sponsored us, helping raise funds for the new play area.

The run/jog/walk started and finished in our beloved park, so it seems somehow fitting that the FoAP team had representatives both at the very front and at the very back. The prize for the happiest dawdlers goes to our youngest members, who were only pipped to last place by the back markers!

 

 

The Santa Fun Run

It’s that time of year again. There’s a chill in the air, it’s getting dark early and it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas. Time to sign up for the Skipton Santa Fun Run! You’ve heard of the Skipton parkrun? Well the Santa Fun Run is a 5k park-town-canal-park run – with bells on. For one day only (Sunday 26th November, 11am) the route is closed to traffic and the town is a jostling blur of red and white Santas.

The entry fee (£8 for children/£12 for adults) covers the cost of your very own Santa suit, plus a donation to the Rotary Club’s chosen charities. Any sponsorship you raise on top of that can go to the charity of your choice. We would DEARLY LOVE you to choose to support the exciting new playground planned at Aireville park, where the Fun Run begins and ends. A team of us will be running for Friends of Aireville Park and we invite YOU to join us. Failing that, why not SPONSOR us. Our target is £1,400 to pay for a double set of toddler swings.

Here’s a link to our local giving website:
https://localgiving.org/fundraising/foapsantafunrun

We look forward seeing you on the day; either cheering us on, or wearing your own Santa suit.

 

parkrun

I’ve just completed my first parkrun! I’m not trying to boast, I just want to shout out what a fabulous resource we have on our doorstep in Aireville Park.

Every Saturday at 9am, rain or shine, a host of cheery volunteers conjure up a bit of feel-good community magic. All you need is to register online (just for your first time), print out your barcode, put on your trainers and head to the park.

The friendly race director explains the course, celebrates personal achievements (whether it’s 10 completed park runs or 200), welcomes first timers and tourists (from Edinburgh and Essex this week), then sends you on your way.

On my own, I’d never have completed four circuits of the park. In a group of over 170 runners I was buoyed along and determined. Yes I was lapped by a man pushing a buggy and someone twenty years my senior (to mention just a few), but completing the course without walking was my own personal achievement.

I returned home with glowing cheeks and a healthy appetite. An hour later, an email pinged through stating my race time,  finishing position and an age graded score – the perfect incentive to make me do it again and beat my own record. The parkrun is FREE and available to all ages and abilities. I heartily recommend it!

Our Park needs your vote!

 

Great news!

We have been shortlisted for the Skipton Tesco Bags of Help initiative that is funded by the 5p carrier bag charge. We are in with a chance of being awarded between £1000-£4000. With the previous Bags of Help award we received we paid for the new zip wire.

So if you would like to see some more new amazing play equipment in our Park get down to Tesco and vote FOAP!

 

Friends of Aireville Park host a Great Get Together in memory of Jo Cox

On Saturday 17^th June 2017 people of all ages and parts of Skipton gathered on the sunny Saturday afternoon in Aireville Park for a community picnic as part of a series of celebratory events happening across the country to honour the memory of Jo Cox.

Sharon Jefferies, Vice-chairperson Friends of Aireville Park said

“Jo Cox was a wonderful and inspirational women and Aireville Park is the perfect location in Skipton for everyone to come together to celebrate what makes our community great and to remember all the things we have in common. In true Jo style we had families from all over town coming together, sharing food, stories, laughing, playing and enjoying our shared green space. We all had a lot of fun!”

During the event we asked people what unites and brings people together, the park and our shared green spaces came up tops, but so did cake! It was a picnic after all.

Friends of Aireville Park AGM

Please come along to our AGM                                                         Thursday 25th May – 7pm – CDC Offices, Bellevue Square.
All welcome to join us for a review of last year and an update of our exciting plans for the year ahead.

Who are The Friends of Aireville Park?

Friends of Aireville Park

We are the Friends of Aireville Park (FoAP) and we are an established, Skipton based, community organisation. We have 6 core volunteer committee members and over 400 followers on social media. We are a group of parents, dog walkers, runners, cyclists and locals who love the park. The committee formed in April 2013 to work as a team to improve the park with a core purpose of encouraging wider use of the park and a sense of community ownership through our fundraising for park improvements, conservation of unique and natural features and holding a variety of community events in the park. We are the latest winners of the 2016 Craven Community Champion Award for a Greener Craven. We work closely with the park owners, Craven District Council (CDC), to represent the voice of the community and to push for the improvements that will transform Aireville Park in to the community hub that Skipton needs and deserves.

 

Friends of Aireville Park win an award

We have won an award!

We won a Craven Community Champion award for Greener Craven 2016 for our efforts with improving the park.