Ed Atkin (19) jumps for joy at the thought of the new Ryton skate park
Ryton youngsters, who’ve campaigned tirelessly for nine years, will finally see their dream to build a new skate park and outdoor games area become a reality.
The group of 20 young people, aged between 11 and 19, have secured funding of £34,500 from Gateshead Council’s Youth Capital Fund (YCI) to build a multi-use games area (MUGA) and £45,000 from the Council’s Ward Based Schemes Fund for a state-of-the-art skate park in the centre of Ryton.
Named Triple B after the sports they love - boards, bikes and blades - the group have worked relentlessly, since they formed in 1999, to bring these specialised youth facilities to the area.
From designing the facilities to fundraising and applying for numerous grants to build them, the group have been instrumental in driving the project forward from day one.
Although still at the planning stage, the new state-of-the-art skate park, will provide a purpose-built, floodlit area for skate boarding, BMX riding and roller blading, located behind the Youth Centre in Barmoor, Ryton.
The new floodlit multi-use games area (MUGA), which will be located alongside the skate park, will be an all-weather pitch for a range of activities such as five-a-side football, basketball or other outdoor sporting activities.
17-year-old, Stu Atkin, from Triple B said: “When we heard we’d got the money we needed to build our very own skate park and MUGA we were gob smacked.
“What initially started out as an idea to tarmac a small area at the back of the Youth Centre grew into a dream to create two specialised areas that would be the envy of the North.
“We were always encouraged to think big but I’m not sure any of us believed it would actually happen. Now that it is, we are all thrilled and can’t wait until we are finally able to try them out.”
A panel of 15 young people from youth clubs, community centres and schools across the borough made the decision to award the funding for the MUGA to Triple B.
The panel, which is made up of people aged between 13 and 20, judge all applications for the Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and the Youth Capital Fund (YCI) and decide which projects receive funding.
This scheme was launched by Government to help support youth projects and involve local youngsters in the decision-making process, especially around issuing grants aimed at providing things to do and places to go for young people.
The panel will award more than £700,000 over the next 12 months.
Councillor Catherine Donovan, Cabinet member for children and young people at Gateshead Council said: “The Youth Opportunity Fund and the Youth Capital Fund help give a voice to young people and provide the means to help change the way local authorities provide services.
“It lets them choose what they want in their own neighborhoods while also providing the opportunity to build confidence, knowledge and skills.
“It’s fantastic to see how hard Triple B has worked to achieve their goal. Young people often get a bad press but this group should be commended for their determination to achieve something that will benefit both young people and the wider local community. They truly deserve this funding to make their dream happen.”