THROUGH your columns, may I congratulate the young people of Alcester?

My wife and I attended the opening of the skatepark and, later the same day, the evening event to celebrate their success and thank some of the adults who helped them to bring about this great achievement.

We expected to be gratified for everyone but we did not quite expect to be so impressed by a superb group of Alcester young people.

With Maria's and Julie's help, they presented the events with great organisation, confidence, wit and panache.

Now, we suppose, they will go out into the world, find the success they deserve and leave poor Maria and Julie to turn around and start again from scratch with the next generation? It was always like that for youth workers.

I have been lucky enough to be part of this successful endeavour, but I can also remember 25 years ago when our son, Steve, and his friends dearly wanted such a facility but were laughed to scorn.

When I told him it was now done, he was amazed and asked if someone had shot the town council.

An understandable riposte but, in fact, this time the town council is well entitled to be high on the thank-you list. There's a surprise!

Some other credits include: Bill Bayley, who created Alcester Youth Project; Rob Howes, who aged 14 sustained the skatepark project virtually single-handed for about a year; John and Anne Mattocks, who emerged to take hold of the idea when it looked like dying from exhaustion; and Mark the Microphone Man, who was symbolically brilliant on the day.

And the following, whose special efforts for the project might otherwise be overlooked. How many do you know?

Neil Anderson, Matt Conway, Rory Duff, Chris Gough, Richard Hester, Colin Howes, Steve Lindsey, Tim Maher, Andy Mason, Pam Price, Debbie Sallis, Patrick Southall, Jane Vale, Amy Wade, Derrick Ward, Sgt Wild.

Great people, a great town.

Bob Hill

Moorfield Road

Alcester