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08

Oct 2022

Last Updated: 07/10/2022

Model boating must continue, says Friends of Valley Gardens

by Tamsin O'Brien

| 08 Oct, 2022
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Friends of Valley Gardens says model boating enhances the park and must stay. It follows news that Harrogate Borough Council is to install a fountain in the boating pool which threatens to end the model boaters hobby.

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Model boating enhances Valley Gardens and should stay, says the charity that works to protect the park.

The comments from Friends of Valley Gardens (FOVG) come after a local model boating club told the Stray Ferret that plans for a fountain in the boating pool would end their hobby.

Claro Marine model boating club said water from the fountain would damage the expensive boats and members would have to go elsewhere if the fountain was installed.

The council had said that Friends of Valley Gardens supported the fountain, which is designed to improve water quality.

So the charity has found itself unwittingly in the middle of a watery controversy. In the past 24 hours, a large number of people have posted comments on its social media pages wanting the model boats to stay.

One of its four trustees, Andrew Jordan, told the Stray Ferret no one wants the model boaters to leave:

"Boating really enhances the Valley Gardens. The model boats are stunning - you can see the time and effort that goes into them. Going by the comments on our Facebook site today, there are a lot people who want it to stay.
"The whole purpose of the boating pond is model boating - I know Harrogate Borough Council wants to reduce costs but before the scheme goes ahead they'll have to get the agreement from the boaters."


He said when the council sent the charity a letter a month ago outlining a proposal for a fountain at one end of the pool, they assumed the model boaters would also be contacted and thought it was an early consultation - rather than a done deal.

They gave it approval but with lots of qualifications:

"We looked at it and we didn't think the original plan would work. There wasn't enough depth of water for the scheme they were proposing. We thought it was just an idea.
"From a maintenance and purification of water point of view, the fountain is a good idea but it has to be the right fountain for the site and for the other users of the boating lake."


The charity is now urging the council to talk to Claro Marine model boating club and find a solution that works for all involved.




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