A new drinking-water fountain has been installed in Swindon’s Town Gardens, allowing visitors to refill their bottles for free. The unit has been positioned next to the café and is the second of three planned across parks managed by South Swindon Parish Council.
It follows the first installation at GWR Park two weeks ago. Work will now move to Queen’s Park, where the final fountain will be placed near the hot house.
The parish council said the scheme was supported by a £10,000 grant from The Hills Group Limited through the Landfill Communities Fund and Community First Wiltshire.
Remaining costs were covered by parish council funding.
Chair of South Swindon Parish Council Neil Hopkins said:
“These fountains are a simple addition, but they make a real difference. They help people stay hydrated while they’re enjoying our parks, they reduce reliance on single-use plastic bottles, and they make our public spaces more welcoming for families, walkers and visitors, and with water bowls provided, their dogs too.
“These parks are all facilities which are controlled and maintained by South Swindon Parish Council. We hope this may encourage SBC and other parishes to install similar facilities in parks for which they are responsible, and where water dispensers do not currently exist.
“This project is part of our Parish Council’s commitment to continuously improving facilities for residents. We want South Swindon’s parks to be places people genuinely want to spend time in, and this is another step towards that.”
The move reflects a wider push across the UK to improve access to free drinking water in public spaces.
In London, more than 100 public fountains have been installed through partnerships between councils, Thames Water and the Mayor of London to help cut single-use plastics and encourage reusable bottles.
Environmental groups estimate billions of plastic bottles are still purchased across the UK each year. Public refill schemes are seen as a relatively low-cost way to increase access to drinking water while reducing litter and environmental impact.
