A new skate park at Warrington has the potential to become a national BMX and skateboarding centre. The state-of-the-art facility was built using a Sport England lottery grant of £256,700 towards total project costs of £315,950 with partnership funding from Warrington Borough Council and WREN (Landfill Tax).

Comprised of a series of concrete bowls with associated metal and concrete ramps and rails, the Victoria Park skate park also has several shelters and chill-out areas for the young people using it. It is floodlit with a music system and also has a dedicated supervision hut.

The idea for the project came about as a result of extensive local consultations that identified the need for a skate park facility as part of a leisure, anti-poverty and social inclusion strategy.

An open day was then held to inform the local community about the proposal and, as well as getting the views of young people expected to use it, a professional skateboarder was engaged to ensure that these ideas were fed into the design process.

He also ensured that any transitions and features were challenging but usable. To ensure its success, an extensive programme aimed at encouraging young people to participate in sport and physical activity has been drawn up.

Meanwhile members of the local community are actively involved in overseeing the project which is already achieving regional importance in the world of street sports.

Professional skateboarder Garry Woodward praised the way the Council had gone about designing the skatepark.

“It can be so hit and miss in this country whether they get it right or not because they don’t always consult the skateboarders and BMXers involved and end up wasting thousands of pounds on a facility which kids aren’t going to use,” he said.

“We didn’t want that to happen here and that is why I got involved with the council. We didn’t get it completely right at the start but now it is all finished it is just perfect.”

Victoria Park factfile

• The skatepark is floodlit with a music system and also has a dedicated supervision hut
• Young people with special needs are targeted through the hiring out of specialist equipment and the provision of dedicated sessions.
• To encourage greater participation reduced rates are available for disadvantaged users who want to hire equipment
• A steering group of local residents, young people, council officers and the police has been established to ensure the delivery of the project’s original objectives.