As plans for a Kingsbridge skate park continue to be discussed, the town council identifies further schemes to improve community facilities.

The opening of a new skate park has been on the agenda for some time now after the closure of the old site, but a suitable location has still yet to be decided. However, town councillors, South Hams District Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon Youth Service and local youth organisations are all working together to ensure that this project comes to fruition as soon as possible.

There has been some opposition to the opening of a skate park, perhaps because of the incorrect stereotype of all skaters being noisy, drug-taking vandals. When the skate park does eventually come to town, it is hoped that this dated perception will be dismissed. After all, a skateboard is no noisier than a car. The unveiling of a place for skaters to perform their ollies and varialflips would provide a platform to showcase the emerging hotbed of talent that exists in the Kingsbridge locality.

In the meantime, a mobile skate park has been brought to Kingsbridge on several occasions, and has received a great response from local teenagers. The events were supervised, and noise levels were also monitored to see if sound intrusion and other possible nuisances became a factor. Luckily there were no such problems, and skateboarders and event helpers gave the events a definite 'thumbs up'.

Until the new skate park is built, the town council plans to make these mobile events a more regular occurance, with up to two or three supervised sessions a month, with lighting. In these short, dark days, this would surely be welcomed by locals who have very little daylight hours to skate after they have finished school or work.

Kingsbridge Town Council has also pledged to look at refurbishing play facilities as part of the South Hams Public Space Strategy, after local mothers have asked for play areas to be upgraded. Although there are currently play facilities for youngsters, there could certainly be more, but this depends on available funding.

In other youth related news, a body of students from Kingsbridge Community College and other local schools has been invited to 'shadow' town council business. It is hoped that the youth council will add a voice to issues which affect them: something which has often been overlooked in the past.