THE RIBBON has been cut to officially open Bridgwater’s new skatepark after a decade of negotiations and campaigning.

Skaters and BMX bikers have been heavily involved with designing the facility, which was opened on Saturday at the rear of Bridgwater YMCA.

Attending the opening ceremony was long term skatepark campaigner George Rollinson, secretary of the skatepark campaign group, Laura Costello and Sedgemoor officer Rob Semple, who helped secure funding to make the dream into a reality.

YMCA chief executive, Martin Hodgson, told the Mercury: “It’s great how the young people came together to talk about what they wanted to see and where they wanted it and now we have got a skatepark Bridgwater deserves.

“It had a lot of use over the weekend, despite the rain, and we are continuing to work with the user group to ensure the park is a success.”

Also marking the opening was Bridgwater Mayor David Loveridge and Sedgemoor District Cou-ncil chairman Peter Downing, along with portfolio holder Cllr John Swayne, ward councillor Leigh Redman and neighbouring ward member Cllr Gill Slocombe.

Westover ward councillor Brian Smedley, whose ‘land survey’ had identified the YMCA as the preferred site for the park, said: “The campaign has been a long one but we got there in the end.”

Westover ward councillors agr-eed to allocate the wards RLT leisure funds to the skatepark.

Five companies were contacted to design the skate park and a user group of around a dozen skaters met every two weeks since September 2012 and worked alongside the companies to select the most suitable design, with 1Skateparks chosen to construct the park.

Marc Churchill, design director at 1Skateparks, said: “The user group has been very vocal about what they wanted and we are glad we have come up with a winning design. I would like to thank everyone for choosing us and for their support.”

The park is aimed at more experienced users, with other facilities such as those in Victoria Park and Cranleigh Gardens continuing to provide beginner and intermediate level options.

Photos: Geoff Hall