Awesome! Mayor leads praise for new £85k Rasen skate park

The state-of-the-art facility, built at a cost of £85,000 at Mill Playing Fields, opened last Wednesday (July 18).

The Mayor, Councillor John Matthews said :“I think the new skate park is awesome!

“It is much larger in real life than on the drawings we initially approved.

“The construction is of very high quality and I am personally very pleased with the whole project.

“I hope it gives the young people much enjoyment for many years to come.”

Coun Stephen Bunney, one of the leading figures in the campaign for a new skate park, said it was already proving popular.

He added: “It has been really gratifying to see the young people of the town make such good use of the new facilities.

“When I visit the skate park, there are always lots of riders with smiling and happy faces.

“I have also noticed that the ‘expert skaters’ have been keen to share the facility with those less experienced than themselves.

“Everyone in the community who has contributed to this project, in what ever way, should feel delighted in the way the park has been received.”

The project has been ongoing for some time, and has been spearheaded by Coun Bunney, who is the town’s deputy mayor, and Coun Margaret Lakin-Whitworth.

The town council originally wanted the skate park to be completed in March but due to bad weather, the site became too wet and meant work came to a halt.

At a town council meeting in May, Coun Bunney revealed work was due to start on June 4. Thanks to recent good weather, the work has now been completed in time to coincide with the start of the school holiday.

Coun Bunney spoke to some skate park users.

Alex and Toby both agreed: “It is a great outdoor experience and allows us to push our skating tricks to the best we can.”

Another skater said: “The facility gives us something to do in the local area.”

One skater said the Rasen site was better than a rival facility in nearby Welton.

One teenager who uses the new skate park added: “It is a great park.”

He added that once lighting had been put up, it will make the park even more accessible.”