Teenage skateboard fan calls for better facilities at Burgage

Tom Mutton, 14, of St. Michael's said he sympathises with the boarders in Craven Arms who have been forced to use car parks as was reported in the Advertiser on January 16.

He said: "I know how they feel. We have one ramp in Tenbury and we are grateful to the town council for providing it but there are big problems which might have been avoided if skateboarders had been consulted."

The Tenbury High School student said skateboarding is good fun and he and his friends like to ride the ramp. However, with a few extras and improvements, the numbers using the ramp would increase.

Tom explained: "The major problem is poor drainage which makes the ground muddy and soggy around the ramp. It becomes slippery and unsafe when it rains.

"In wet weather we use the car park. We know that this is not a good idea and we are putting ourselves at risk from cars speeding into the car park, but what else can we do?"

Tom suggested a concrete base was needed around the ramp and skateboarders would also like a few smaller ramps to make the site more interesting.

He wants Tenbury Town Council to meet with the skateboarders and discuss facilities that would help keep everyone happy. He also wants to point out that Church Stretton has a good skateboard park which has benefited the town.

The Tenbury Wells ramp, first proposed in January 2000, was finally opened at the Burgage last summer.

Chairman of the council's Parks and Cemetery Committee, Cllr. George Price, has supported the skateboard facility from the start. He said: "I sympathise with the youngsters. If Tom will get in touch with the town clerk, I will be happy to set up a meeting to hear their views.

"As regards a concrete surround, health and safety regulations prevent this because the ramp must have a soft landing of about a metre around the base. However, we can look at other solutions," he added.