Waveney District Council is calling for young people to ‘Get on Board’ and offer their thoughts and opinions on a project to build a state-of-the-art skate park in Lowestoft.

Having announced a successful bid for over a quarter of a million pounds in ‘Big Lottery’ funding back December, the project has progressed and its first consultation events are being held at Benjamin Britten High School on 8 and 9 July between 5.00pm and 6.30pm.

This preliminary consultation will provide members of the public with information on the project and young people are invited to provide input on the location and design of the park. Chris Ames has been appointed Play Coordinator for Waveney District Council and is looking forward to getting to know the people who will actually use this bespoke facility, commenting on the project he said: "The park will be designed by young people for young people and everyone’s input is welcome, from skate boarders to bmx riders and in-line skaters.

"I am thrilled to be part of this positive movement, to improve existing facilities and create more free play opportunities for young people in our area. Not only will we be providing for the younger children in the district, but we’ll be extending this opportunity to all under the age of 19 years.”

The Council has progressed the project together with the Waveney Play Partnership– around 40 people from organisations and groups across the district. Councillor Chris Punt, Waveney’s Portfolio Holder for Performance and Chair of the Waveney Play Partnership said: “It’s exciting to finally get on with creating something that’s tailored to the young people of Lowesoft. This skate park was a clear favourite during our initial consultation to identify potential projects.

“We’ve put in a lot of work so far and its great to be in the position where we can start generating ideas. The events on 8 and 9 July are just the first and we have future plans to really get to grips with what people want. So, ‘get on board,’ get involved and tell us!

"The Play Partnership started 15 months ago and we now have four projects on the agenda to deliver. It was essential that we had an enthusiastic project manager and leader in place and to this end we have appointed Chris Ames to the position of Play Coordinator. I am really looking forward to working with Chris on delivering these funded projects for the young people of Waveney and helping him seek further funding to install more exciting play facilities in other areas across the district."

The aim of the Play Partnership is to be the main steering group behind the future of play spaces and play provision in the Waveney. After being awarded capital funds to improve three rural play areas in the district and install a state-of-the-art concrete skate park in North Lowestoft, the partnership, through Waveney's Play Coordinator, will be responsible for delivering these projects in the next two years.

“Together the group will look toward securing further funding for improvements, organising events to gain public awareness, interest and support and to create a sustainable momentum in play provision improvement for the future,” added Cllr Punt.

The new role of Play Coordinator will sit within the Council’s Sports & Leisure Development team. Claire Henwood, Service Manger for Sports & Leisure Development said: "I am very pleased to have Play within the team here at Waveney. This promises to be an exciting, pro-active and hopefully sustainable strategic approach to develop the play opportunities for our youth.”