Youngsters encouraged to get their skates on

The Vale Youth Service has launched its first ever mobile skate park in a bid to encourage young people to take part in skating workshops in their local area.

The first of its kind to be launched, the ‘Skate Anywhere’ initiative uses entirely portable skating equipment, which can be transported to different locations across the Vale of Glamorgan, giving young people access to high quality skating facilities.

Previously trialed in schools across the Vale of Glamorgan, the scheme received positive feedback from pupils who took part in the taster sessions hosted by the Youth Service.

Now launched, the mobile park will be accessible to children as young as 8, and adults into their 30’s and will be available to youth clubs and local groups alike.

On launching the mobile skate park, Andy Borsden from the Vale Youth Service said: “The idea came after witnessing a large proportion of young people struggling to find a location within the Vale to skate safely, with many opting to use local car parks as makeshift skating facilities in residential areas. As a result, this concept has been driven largely by young people themselves who have been at the forefront of the project’s formulation and have given us invaluable feedback throughout its development”.

To help launch the skate park, the ‘Skate Anywhere’ initiative received over £15,000 of funding from the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Rural Regeneration initiative, Creative Rural Communities.

The funding, which is part of Creative Rural Communities’ ‘Places for Young People’ grant scheme, which aims to develop new, or improve existing, facilities for young people up to the age 30, will allow the skate park to be used and enjoyed by the Vale of Glamorgan’s younger inhabitants.

The project, overseen by the Youth Service, will be monitored by skate board workers as well as a street based patrol team, which will ensure the smooth running of the scheme.

Mr Borsden continued: “Our aim in launching the initiative was to take skating out of busy locations and encourage it to be undertaken in a safe and fun environment. It is fantastic to be launching a project which will encourage people of all ages across the rural Vale to come together and enjoy the skating facilities on their doorstep”.

The funding awarded to the project was made available through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

One of a number of schemes to receive funding, the Skate Anywhere initiative will work alongside other community projects to improve facilities for young people living in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Jane Williams, Senior Rural Regeneration Officer at Creative Rural Communities said: “We felt that the Skate Anywhere project had the potential to not only encourage young people to use their leisure time productively but also to encourage youngsters to embark upon physical activity.

“For the majority of these youngsters it is the first time they have been involved in a project like this. Undoubtedly the skate park will be well used and well looked after and we are delighted to have been involved”.

This project has received funding through Axis 3 of the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

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