SKATERS in the Tamar Valley will soon be riding a new half pipe with funding for the work all agreed.

Members of Calstock Parish Council have unanimously supported a £29,000 payment for the building of equipment to go in at the St Ann’s Chapel Playing Field.

A spokesperson for the local council said: "We are delighted to be able to confirm that with funds in place, the installation of a new half pipe can commence.

“Dave Childs from Rampchild designed and built the previous half pipe which was a very popular piece of equipment and we are looking forward to working with him again.

“We would like to thank the community members, led by Ben Dance, who have advised on design and technical details."

Ben Dance was one of a group of teenagers who campaigned for a skatepark back in the 1990s, and who put together plans for the original half pipe at St Anns, which was removed in 2018 due to being deemed structurally unsafe.

Now a father himself, Ben has led a new generation of skaters in the push for its replacement as part of a wider skatepark scheme.

“It is very exciting that we are now moving forward. We’ve got an estimated start date of within the next four to six weeks and from there we will have an opening date,” he said.

“We know it will be highly popular, based on the use of the previous set up, and very much suitable for all ages, all skill levels and all disciplines.

With Saltash Olympic skateboarder Lola Tambling pencilled in to officially open the new half pipe in the spring, the community is excited about what’s ahead, says Ben.

“This will be phase one of a bigger skatepark and we’re looking forward to seeing it open and to adding to the project as we go along.”