Boscastle Water World and Adventure Park

The 2004 flood damaged village of Boscastle is to get a boost to its moral with the announcement that building will start on a new water park in 2007. “Boscastle Water World and Adventure Park” is touted as being “Europe’s most picturesque water park” and as well as utilising many breakthroughs in water slide design, it will also feature Jacuzzis and a “water bar”. The project is being funded entirely by money left over from the Rebuild Boscastle charity fund.

“The sadness on the town has been quite prominent since the flood,” said the Mayor of Boscastle, Dave Jolene. “We have now rebuilt the village and have about fifteen million left over from the fund raising. The committee decided that a water park would be better for the village than the other suggestions like a new Church or a TK Max.”

Most locals are delighted with the new venture and are already planning which slides to go on first. Sales of bikinis and swimming trunks from the local shop have increased five fold since the decision was made.

Even with the excitement that is the buzz of the village there is always the memory of that dreadful day in August 2004 and most villagers are sure they will never forget. "It was exactly like the Asian tsunami, only coming from inland .Luckily, no one died in ours." Said three times Boscastle May Queen, Francine Fremula, 86.

The water park is revolutionary in its design, forgoing the regular structural girders and plinth method and instead using the natural profile of the valley which is described as being “absolutely ideal” for a water slide.

But its not all good news, there are a small number of residents opposed to the Boscastle Water World and Adventure Park due to concerns over the veruca epidemics that have plagued other villages with water parks; the Normandy village of Merci du Mere was totally destroyed by a veruca epidemic in the mid sixties, for example.

Even with the small number of local objectors, the momentum for the park is now in full effect with an opening date of June 1st 2007. Cornish legend John Nettles has agreed to the honor of opening the slide. Speaking from his home in Bugle, Nettles told midcornwall.com "I once went on a water slide while filming a Christmas special of Bergerac in the Algarve. It was great. Though I still think I prefer going to the Monkey Sanctuary near Looe."