YOUNG people in Okehampton have expressed concerns to the town council about the safety and current state of the town’s skate park.

During a recent Okehampton Town Council meeting four youngsters from the Room 13 youth centre delivered a presentation which highlighted their main concerns with the skate park, including safety, littering and the lack of adequate facilities.

The presentation suggested improvements which members of the youth centre hoped could be made to the park. They said that the lighting of the skate park was an urgent issue as it is currently unsafe to use during the evenings because there was no working floodlight.

The presentation stressed how one of the tops of a skate ramp was ‘incredibly dangerous to skaters’, as it has become worn out, and there was a large ditch which was hazardous if a skate board wheel was to get caught in it.

Room 13 members also suggested that more bins would significantly improve the current problem of littering in the skate park. They also hoped for a new seating hut as the current one was ‘covered in vandalism’. A new under-cover seating facility would enable local young people to use the park even when the weather was wet.

Towards the end of the presentation the members drew conclusions as to how much the work to the skate park would cost. They estimated that new bins would cost £185, a new hut would cost around £5,000 and improvements to the skate ramps would cost around £4,000.

After the meeting Cllr Christine Marsh, chairperson of the parks’ committee, said Room 13 currently had £2,000 left over from previous fundraising which could be used towards the improvements of the skate park. However, the members had been working hard to come up with other ideas of how to fund raise.

‘The essential work regarding safety will be a priority so the current surface area and floodlights will be addressed first. But, in time, all of the issues can be addressed and the skate park will be discussed at the next parks’ committee meeting,’ she said.

Cllr Marsh added that wheels were in motion to make the improvements to the skate park and that it would be a joint effort for the council and Room 13.

Room 13 is the Devon County Council Youth Centre which supports young people in Okehampton.

Operating as a multi agency building, Room 13 in St James’ Street facilitates the work of a number of agencies in the area, including the Youth Offending Team and Young Devon.

Room 13 offers open access youth provision sessions for young people aged 11-19, and strives to provide targeted support and guidance for young people in the local area.

Pictured is one of the participants in this years’ Okehampton Skate Jam that was held at the skate park.

Picture by James Bird