A fundraising campaign has been launched to try and secure the long-term future of Wicksteed Park.

The park’s owner, The Wicksteed Charitable Trust, has said that the park could cease to exist in its current form and with free access unless the need for vital additional funding is met.

The ‘Love Wicksteed’ campaign has been aided by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with a grant of £250,000 to help the trust set up a full-time fundraising team and strategy.

Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, part of the project involves asking visitors for their views about the park and an online questionnaire has been launched at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5BKXJ3L as part of the information gathering.

Park bosses say the questionnaire is to help raise awareness of the park’s charitable status and its ongoing need to generate its own income to be sustainable, unlike council-owned parks and green spaces across the UK, which are supported by council tax-payers’ money.

People and organisations wishing to make a donation can do so at www.justgiving.com/wicksteedcharitabletrust

Wicksteed Park is the oldest theme park on the UK mainland and one of the oldest in the world.

It is owned by Wicksteed Charitable Trust and is run by a wholly-owned subsidiary company, Wicksteed Trading Limited.

The company exists solely to operate the park on a day-to-day basis and any profit it generates is Gift Aided in full to the charity to help it to achieve its charitable objectives.

Oliver Wicksteed, chairman of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, said: “Wicksteed Park maintains free access to its green spaces at a cost of over £1million per year.

"The trust has invested millions in recent years to try to secure a sustainable future but ultimately this is a private park which needs a great deal of money to maintain if we are to continue to open for people to use free of charge, as we have for more than 100 years.

“The park has played a massive part in the lives of generations of people from across the country.

“Its free-to-access green spaces inspire people to enjoy the countryside as part of a fit and healthy lifestyle and its unique heritage as the birthplace of modern-day play equipment, and the work of its founder Charles Wicksteed, makes it of global significance.

“We are working hard to enable the park to continue in its present form but increasing financial pressure means the reality is that without urgent, significant support Wicksteed Park will not survive as we know it and as a free-to-access park.”

The recent Budget has placed significant additional cost pressures on the park through the increase in both Minimum Wage and employer’s National Insurance contributions, which amount to an extra £50,000 a year.

Even before the Budget, local councils elsewhere in the UK, including Leicestershire had begun selling public parks at a peppercorn price as they can no longer afford to run them.

Mr Wicksteed added: “The trust receives no regular external financial support or public funding unlike other national or council owned parks.

"It relies on generating its own income, charitable donations and support from bodies such as The National Lottery Heritage Fund but still makes a contribution to the local economy of at least £11million each year.

“Money raised through the community and grant support from the likes of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage were invaluable in helping the park to recover from the loses caused by the Covid shutdown but realistically we need that level of support year-on-year in order to safeguard the park’s future.”

Wicksteed Park combines a 281-acre estate including 147 acres of parkland.

As well as its rides and attractions, the park has beautiful gardens, walking trails, a nature reserve and its water meadows are a habitat full of sedges, reeds, wildflowers and numerous species of birds.

The park is also a hub for community events and functions and the pavilion provides a venue for weddings, functions, parties and business events.

The park has become known as the home of children’s play. It was opened in 1921 by Charles Wicksteed, the creator of swings and slides as we know them today, who had a vision to inspire and encourage play as part of families' health and well-being.

The Wicksteed Charitable Trust was formed to continue his work and now needs individuals, community organisations and businesses to support them in keeping Charles Wicksteed’s legacy alive.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like to work with the park and support them in ensuring the park will be there for future generations to enjoy.