A village is skating ahead with new plans to give youngsters something to do.
Mr Andy Scott, chairman of Friends of Shepley, said they had been asked by groups of 10 to 12-year-olds for a skate park in the village and he was hoping the plan would come to fruition.
He said: “There isn’t really anything in Shepley for older children.
“We just have a couple of nursery playgrounds, which means teenagers are often hanging about the streets with nothing to do.”
Mr Scott, 44, who lives in the village, said he was hoping local people would support the plans.
He said: “We have 550 to 600 signatures backing the idea, which is a good proportion of the 2,500 residents.
“But, I’m not going to lie, we are probably going to have some who don’t like the idea. I think some members of the older generation may raise objections, but I hope the majority of people will be positive about it.”
Mr Scott has already met Kirklees Council planning officials to look at the best place for the park, which he said would probably have to be somewhere on the recreation ground as there wasn’t anywhere else suitable.
He said: “We are looking at having it as far away from housing as possible as we want to try to keep everyone happy, and we also don’t want to interfere with the football pitch.”
He said the meeting with Kirklees was very positive. The officials had gone through the strict guidelines regarding safety, and were now awaiting a planning application.
The Friends of Shepley have had a professional park builder quote of more than £55,000 for the building of the park, but with the offer of help from local volunteers and skilled tradesmen it is believed it can be built for around £6,000.
“We hope to start fundraising in the next couple of months with the aim of building the skate park in the middle of next year,” he said.
“Ideally the target will be £10,000, and then if we have money left over we can provide a decent adventure playground as well.”
Mr Scott said he would like to hear from anyone in the Shepley area who could volunteer their services in helping to build the skate park.
He and other members of Friends of Shepley take an active role in developing and improving facilities for all age groups in the village.
They raise money by helping out residents and businesses with jobs including gardening and building fences, and now plan to hold other fundraising activities such as a gala.
Anyone who can offer support can contact them through Friends of Shepley and Shepley Skate Park Facebook sites.
