A NEW skate park designed for and by the youngsters of Braintree has officially opened.
The community skate park in Meadowside, was built as part of a £600,000 fund allocated to improve the Glebe, Coldnailhurst and Tabor Avenue estates and to offer youngsters somewhere to go to socialise.
Last Wednesday, the skate park was officially opened and was attended by dozens of young people from the surrounding estates as well as by professional and semi-professional BMXers and skaters.
Robert Yates, a member of the Braintree community forum who backed plans for the skate park and whose 23-year-old son Kai regularly uses the park, said: "That's what got asked for by the young people because there was nothing in this area to do. People of all ages can use it - they love it."
The park was created by environmental regeneration charity, Groundwork East of England, who had been in consultation with local residents for two years to identify priorities for improving the local area.
As a result of this, young people from the estate were encouraged to be a part of the design process and most residents supported the planning application and construction of the bowl.
Regional development manager at Groundwork East of England, James Edge, said: "Working with the young people and local representatives from the estate has been a great experience.
"It is not often that the voices of young people are heard and this project demonstrates that with determination and the right support, things can get done. Let's hope this can be a catalyst for continuing change for the area."
Now, funding for additional landscaping and tree-building around the skate bowl is being sought through the national project, Transform Your Patch, led by Britvic and Pesico, which asks the public for votes to transform outdoor spaces.
There are four projects in the East Anglian region competing for votes, including the Meadowside skate bowl.
Residents in the Braintree district can vote for the skate bowl at: www.transformyourpatch.com until the end of October.
