TALKING CAS - JANUARY 22 2026 - TOWN TALES: THE VALLEY GARDENS

Talking Cas – January 22, 2026

One of the real pleasures of writing this blog is hearing back from you — your memories, your opinions, and sometimes your disagreements. This week is one where I’m especially hoping you’ll comment, because we’re talking about a place that many of you know well, even if you don’t always stop to think about it.

Just a few minutes from the town centre lies a quiet green treasure: The Valley Gardens.
And I’d love to know — what does the Valley Gardens mean to you?

🌳 A Green Route Through the Heart of Cas

Tucked away yet surprisingly close, the Valley Gardens is one of those places that quietly gets on with being useful. Families wander through, dog walkers pass the time of day, older residents sit and watch the world go by, and children burn off energy in the new play area.

The park offers trees, a gentle stream, plenty of benches, and now a modern play space. It also forms a lovely green route from Lower Oxford Street through to Castlefields, and on towards the town centre. If you carry on, you’ll even pass the striking new mural at the delightfully named Tickle Cock Bridge - a name that always raises a smile.

🌿 A Park with Deep Roots

The Valley Gardens first opened in October 1933, created as a “green lung” for the people of an increasingly urban Castleford. Nearly a century later, it’s still doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Over the decades, the park has evolved with the times. Some facilities have come and gone — many of you will remember the much-loved play pool — but the purpose has remained the same: a place to breathe, to rest, to play, and to connect.

If you grew up in Castleford, I’d be fascinated to hear:

What do you remember most about the Valley Gardens as a child?
Are there features you miss?
Or changes you’ve welcomed?

🔥 Turning a Setback into Something Better

Not long after I was elected as a councillor, the council approached me about demolishing the burnt-out shelter in the park. It was a sad sight - a reminder that public spaces don’t look after themselves.

I agreed to the demolition, but I also felt strongly that something positive could come from something negative. So I decided to try something new: I set up an inaugural meeting to form a Friends group for the park, held in a nearby school hall.

I was warned beforehand, rather gloomily, that “all you’ll get is complaints” — about vandalism, about substance misuse, about anti-social behaviour.

There were a couple of those voices, it’s true.
But the overwhelming mood in the room was different.

People wanted to help.
They wanted to care.
They wanted the Valley Gardens to thrive.

That’s something I’ve seen time and again in Castleford: when given the chance, people step up.

📰 A Small Mix-Up and a Big Commitment

We quickly renamed ourselves Friends of the Valley Gardens, Castleford after the local paper kindly covered our launch, but illustrated it with a photo of the Valley Gardens in Pontefract. An honest mistake, but one that still raises a chuckle.

That first Friends group eventually faded away, as community groups sometimes do. But, happily, the story doesn’t end there.

💙 Lockdown, Love Bombs, and a New Beginning

Out of the difficult days of the Covid-19 lockdown came something unexpectedly hopeful.

In the summer of 2020, a group of young people living nearby began spending their lockdown time improving the park. They picked litter, tidied areas, and showed real pride in the space.

They called their initiative “Love Bomb”, and in July 2020 they kick-started a brand-new Friends of the Valley Gardens. I was delighted to help promote what they were doing.

When lockdown ended, many of those young people understandably moved on to other things. But something remarkable happened: older residents who had joined the group stayed on, rolled up their sleeves, and kept going.

They still work closely with the council today, giving their time freely to make the Valley Gardens an even better place.

Have you ever spoken to one of the Friends while walking through the park? Or perhaps joined in yourself?

🎠 Investing in Play, Access, and Inclusion

Thanks to partnership working and various funding streams, the council has invested thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money into the Valley Gardens. You can see the results.

The redesigned play area caters for early years and school-age children, with a real focus on inclusion:

A wheelchair-friendly roundabout
A transfer-height seesaw
A nest group swing
Multi-tower junior play equipment
A Track Line for short, controlled adventures

The total cost came to around £99,000, funded largely through developer contributions and levies.

Whether you have children, grandchildren, or simply enjoy seeing a park well-used, this investment represents something important: a belief that public spaces matter.

What do you think of the new play area? Is there anything you’d still like to see added?

🌼 The Friends of the Valley Gardens Today

The Friends of the Valley Gardens are thriving. They continue to do a splendid job - often quietly and without fuss - helping to keep the park a genuine jewel in the town.

You can find them on Facebook, or simply pop down on a Sunday afternoon for a look, a natter, and perhaps even to lend a hand. Community doesn’t always start with a big meeting - sometimes it begins with a conversation on a park bench.

💷 Have Your Say: Council Budget 2026–2027

Finally, I want to flag up something important.

The council is currently consulting on its 2026–27 budget. The proposed council tax increase is the maximum allowed: 4.99%. The detailed proposals can be found in section 7 of the cabinet report:

👉 https://mg.wakefield.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=16090&x=1

There’s also a public survey, which closes on February 1, 2026:

👉 https://eu.surveymonkey.com/r/WakefieldCouncilBudgetProposals26-27

The final budget decision will be made on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Whether you agree with the proposals or not, this is your opportunity to be heard.

💬 Over to You

So, over to you — and this time I really do hope you’ll comment.

What memories do you have of the Valley Gardens?
How do you use it now?
What would you like to see next?
And how do you feel about the council’s budget proposals?

As always, Talking Cas is exactly that — a conversation.
Let’s keep it going.

Tony

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TONY WALLIS