THE committee of the Delabole Skate Park project have expressed their thanks to everyone who came and supported their bacon bap and cake morning held on Friday, November 9 and to all who baked delicious cakes and donated raffle prizes.

Committee member Claire Sleep said: “We are pleased to say with your help we raised nearly £500 (we have some donations to add so this is not the final amount). Also thank you for the support of our local businesses. Thank you to our helpers Sue Wymark, Karen Smith and Kim Piper. Without your help we could not of done it!

“We would like to thank Sally Holden and Jane Swan for their generous donations in memory of their late mum Biddy Holden who was a resident of Delabole for 70 years, who sadly passed away last Christmas.

“We also have some brilliant news. We have been accepted for the Co-op Local Community Fund. If anyone has a Co-op card please take the time to log into your account and register your support for our project, every time you spend it helps the skate park. If you are not a member, please ask for a members’ card in your local Co-op and register online, you get 5% cash back on your spending and we get 1% towards the skate park.”

The group want to build a concrete skate park for the community and surrounding areas to use their BMX bikes, scooters and skateboards.

The project aims to provide a free-to-use skate park suitable for all children and wheeled sports and to be used by as many people as possible in the local community.

A skate park will not only help to improve their health and wellbeing, by the provision of ‘free play’, but will also integrate the children with their peers, and bring all the community schools together to lead a more active lifestyle.

They are a small team of local parents that are passionate about providing a skate park for the village with a view to keeping local children off their computers and back out in the fresh air, keeping fit, being sociable and staying out of trouble!

They have have been working very closely with Maverick Builders and St Teath Parish Council and also have the full support of local county councillor Dominic Fairman.

It has been agreed with the parish council that they can develop where the old BMX track was before it was removed as it was deemed unsafe. The design of the park will allow for differing needs of many wheeled sports including skateboarding, BMX, street and mountain bikes, in-line skates and rollerblades while they believe it may also attract tourists visiting the area who are looking for daytime activities.