A new skatepark has opened in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire.

The park will be known as St Andrew's Wheeled Sports Facility.

Plans to construct a dedicated skateboard park in the area were first suggested by William Browlie, Jon McGee and John Melrose in the early 1990s. Funding for a full facility wasn't available, however, so a mini-ramp was built instead, but this venture only lasted for a couple of years before it closed. A renewed appeal from the younger generation in Bellshill then continued the campaign which has resulted in the construction of a wheeled sports facility.

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Councillor Harry McGuigan said: "It's a real credit to the young people who campaigned so effectively to see this marvellous new facility opened today.

"It's a perfect example of the council working with young people to provide them with the types of facility they want to see and I congratulate them on all their efforts.

"I would also like to thank the staff of North Lanarkshire Council and Culture NL who worked to deliver the project along with the contractors who have done such a good job building it."

Mr Melrose said: "The mini-ramp was ok but it didn't last long. It wasn't made from concrete and so it was soon vandalised and the nails used to come up through the wood."

"The new facility has been a long time coming but it's just brilliant that we finally have one," Mr McGee added, while Mr Brownlie commented: "We were all a lot younger then but we still plan to use the new park along with our children and show them how it's done."

The new facility has been jointly funded by the NLC Local Development Programme and SportScotland Active Places Fund.

(JP/IT)