DETERMINED young skaters have helped make a Leamington skate park safer.
New lighting has been installed at the skate park in Victoria Park due to pressure from its young users to improve safety in the area, especially after dark and during the winter months.
Supported by Warwickshire County Council’s youth workers, who regularly engaged with young people at the park, the group started a project to raise their concerns.
The young people were also keen to make the skate park a space that could be safely shared with all park users. In a considerate move, they chose to stop skating during daylight hours when unsupervised toddlers were playing in the area.
The council’s youth workers facilitated a series of meetings in the park with key stakeholders, including Coun Geraldine Cullinan representing Clarendon ward, Jon Barnett from Warwick District Council’s community safety team, and David Adams, chair of the Friends of Victoria Park.
Through months of collaboration and ongoing youth engagement, the case for improved lighting was made clear. WDC successfully secured funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to install lighting throughout the circular path around the park, and importantly, for the skate park itself.
The new lights were installed last month.
The young people who participated were Abigail, Chloe, Dylan, Evan, Fraser, Ioan, Pidgeon, Shay, Stan, Syd, Travis, Jake, Sam, Ashton, Ed, Saif, Enzo and Elliot.
WCC’s localities spokesperson Coun Mike Bannister said: “This project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when we listen to young people and take their concerns seriously. As a child friendly county we are committed to creating safe, welcoming spaces for children and young people to play, socialise and thrive.
“The young people who use Victoria Park have shown great maturity and community spirit, and I’m delighted their voices have helped make this park safer for everyone.”
