Proposal for Royal Wootton Bassett Skate Park

14/06/2023

Good News everyone! I attended a meeting in May with RWB Town Council and local residents to discuss further action to have the skate park built in our town. I was delighted to report that the council is in full support of the project and agree it would benefit the younger members of our community. For example, keeping fit, a place to meet friends and looking after their mental wellbeing through exercise. It has been advised by a Wiltshire councillor the best type of Skate Park is one that allows for a variety of non - motorised wheeled micro mobility vehicles such as skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters. The council is being supported through this process by a company that designs and builds skateparks throughout the UK as well as an independent advisor. Discussions and land analysis are taking place by the council based on the guidance provided.
The location needs to be assessed for suitability of accessing these amenities from the town, possible parking needs and minimal impact on surrounding residents to the venue as well as ensuring Health and Safety laws are adhered to. Three locations are currently being assessed using the previous criteria and discussions are taking place with potential land owners. We have also secured support from local businesses who are willing to help financially support the project and look forward to sharing more information about these amazing companies in the near future.

If you are still in doubt about the usefulness of this project then please read on. A recent police study indicated that 47% of officers noticed a decrease in overall youth crime since the skatepark opened. A common story shared by the officers was that giving youth something to do, and a place to go, decreases their chances of getting into trouble. A Sergeant from Massachusetts echoes this sentiment: “I can honestly say that, based on my 27 years of police work, if you can keep kids busy like the skatepark has done, you have completely prevented a future adult offender. If you have a few minutes please take a look at the link below.

https://youtu.be/BZlkjWEtaU8

Our next meeting is scheduled for July 2023. But for now, please spread the word!

Dorchester Skatepark has contributed to a drop in anti social behaviour by 45% - Inspector Les Fry, Dorchester Section Commander, said: “This reduction is a ...

11/12/2022

As you are all aware, we have noticed the huge impact the pandemic has had on our young people over the previous two years. Being isolated and not being able to participate in their usual activities means a significant number of young people are now struggling with their mental health. This has led to an increase in children being anxious about attending school, attempting su***de, self-harm and eating disorders. (Education Endowment Fund Research).

As the young people have started to return to normal routines and interacting with their peers, we are seeing an increase in social problems, especially with the younger members of society as they have missed the necessary steps in their social development during their formative years (Wiltshire Behaviour Support - part of the SENDCo Team). As a result of the negative impact of the pandemic, we need to increase the facilities available to our children to ensure they can start to develop strategies to become well-adjusted adults. This includes problem solving, interacting with others, and challenging themselves both physically and mentally. Although we have several children’s play parks around RWB, a lot of our young people have now grown out of them and want something more challenging to do, including my own grandchildren.

Throughout the summer holidays I visited several different skate parks in a variety of areas, where my grandsons were able to use their scooters on the skateboard ramps. During the holidays, they were improving in confidence, getting exercise, learning key social interaction skills with their peers and having a great time being outdoors instead of being in front of their gaming technology. This has resulted in increasing their confidence within school learning as well. Once my grandsons returned to school, I researched the benefits of having a local skatepark. My information came from A Journal of Adolescent Research – “Skate Parks as a Context for Adolescent Development” by
Graham L. Bradley, They are as follows:

• COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACES HELP BUILD SOCIAL SKILLS.
• SKATEBOARDING HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH.
• SKATEBOARDING PROMOTES HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES.
• SKATEPARKS REDUCE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR.
• SKATEPARKS ATTRACT TOURISM.

These are just a few points that prove that this could be a positive activity for our children. However, I also noticed during my time at the skateparks, that skate parks attract all different age groups from very young children as well as adults. The benefits would be for the whole community and would improve health, mental wellbeing, time for families to spend together and improving community cohesion.

I have approached the local council and spoke with Cllr Steve walls ,who advised me that a skatepark is being considered by the local council. They are currently identifying a suitable venue to build the facility and car park area. However, they do need to consider factors such as ensuring it does not impact the local residents and has easy access.

What we need to do right now is to demonstrate to the council the necessity for this facility to be built. Please support this very worthwhile project which we know will have a great impact on our children with a “Thumbs Up” . I would also appreciate your views and advice as to how we can share this important message to the wider community and any further suggestions which can be put forward to the council about where the skatepark should be build.

Many thanks in advance for your support.

Mrs J Callcut