GAZETTE & HERALD: STRUGGLING skateboarders are frantically trying to raise £37,500 needed to start building the Corsham skate facility.

Planning permission was given in August last year by North Wiltshire District Council but construction work on the Springfield Leisure Centre site has yet to begin.

Enthusiasm is dwindling, because the young group is thousands of pounds short of its £90,000 target and the skate park might not be ready in time for the third summer holiday since planning started in April 2003.

Ben King, 14, who has been involved in the project since the beginning said: "All of us are getting a bit frustrated. It's going slowly but we are still enthusiastic that it's going ahead, we just need the money and we don't think we'll have enough to build it this summer."

Ben added: "Please help us raise the money. We desperately need it because we have nowhere to skate. If they do give us any money we will be so thankful and put a plaque up in the skate park with their name or business on."

Project manager, Brian Eatock said: "Having been given planning permission and based on Melksham's experience, we thought that raising funds might not be too difficult we couldn't have been more wrong.

"Most of the big funding groups had exhausted their funds for the year by the time we submitted our applications.

"The boys have lost some of their enthusiasm but it's temporary and understandable. Young people want it all today. It will all be revived when we get closer to our target."

The delays the group experienced in getting planning permission had an unfortunate knock-on effect.

Most of the grant funders, who have a financial year April to March, had already allocated all their funds for the year or the group weren't eligible.

The skateboarders submitted a grant application for £20,000 to the Young People's Fund, but it gives only to projects that cost a maximum of £30,000 and the skate park is significantly more than that.

Awards for All refused a grant of £5,000. A £10,000 grant requested from Comic Relief and a £500 grant application submitted to Crimebeat are pending until March.

Living Spaces, the organisation that provides grants for these sort of projects has no prospect of getting any more money in the foreseeable future.

Mr Eatock also said the skate-boarders are disappointed that they wrote to 17 manufacturing companies and various high profile residents in Corsham in November and have only had one reply to date. He said they are still living in hope.

Julia Stacey, community planner for Corsham, is making further grant applications.

Mr Eatock said: "You learn a lot about kids when you work with them on a project like this.

"They are nave about how hard it is to raise money but they are very bright and come up with all sorts of suggestions.

"There is a group of about a dozen, core boys who are really enthusiastic and try to encourage the others, whatever activity we want to do. There are five young chaps who are the catalysts and come to all the meetings."

So far they have raised almost £3,000 by bag packing in supermarkets, a sponsored cycle ride and litter picking. They are hoping to organise a sponsored abseil and raise another £2,500 this year.

Mr Eatock said: "Please help the young people of Corsham.

"They have got the local residents' support, the planning permission and the land, it all depends on the money.

"They are all great young people and I shall be very pleased when we get this done for them. I'm cautiously optimistic."

If you can put any money towards the project leave a message for Julia Stacey at the town hall on (01249) 702140 or email Mr Eatock on skate@web4uall.com.