Money raised in the hope of replacing Goodwick’s iconic helter skelter slide will be used instead for a porpoise sculpture on the Parrog.

The money was raised during through Fishguard & Goodwick: Funding for the Future, a crowdfunding campaign during lockdown, both from local donations and money from those with connections to the area.

The campaign was set up by the Evans cousins, some of whom grew up in Fishguard and Goodwick, and was supported by Golden Globe nominee, actor Matthew Rhys.

It raised an impressive £17,115 which was split between Sea Trust, Theatr Gwaun and Fishguard and Goodwick Chamber of Trade and Tourism, which each received £5,705.

When the money was raised, Sea Trust was still in the process of acquiring the Ocean Lab from Pembrokeshire County Council and said it would look into replacing the helter skelter when the purchase was completed.

The iconic helter skelter, enjoyed by generations of Pembrokeshire children, was removed by Pembrokeshire County Council late in 2020 after it proved too costly to repair.

The removal left local families up in arms, and it was hoped that a replacement would eventually be put in its place.

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However, the Funding for the Future project said this month that the money that it had raised was now earmarked for a sculpture.

The two and a half metre sculpture will consist of an adult and calf harbour porpoise made of fibreglass with a metal frame.

These will be leaping towards a wooden signpost detailing how far Goodwick is from the North Pole, Patagonia, Rosslare, New York and London.

“We currently are awaiting planning permission to erect something outside the building. This structure has already been completed by a local artist and will, we believe, create a great focal point on the Parrog,” said the project’s Ann-Marie Moreno.

“We have worked with Sea Trust all along on this project and look forward to presenting it to the community and in particular to those who so kindly supported the fundraising campaign.”

She said that the cost of insuring and maintaining another piece of play equipment was not viable for Sea Trust but that the sculpture would be ‘fun, interesting and informative’.

The money raised for Theatr Gwaun was not used for Show-up Saturday theatre and film workshops, as initially hoped, but for Creative Biophilia, a film project with Ysgol Bro Gwaun. The Chamber of Trade did not use the money to fund interactive signage to help the get its walking and boat tours up and running.