A SCHEME to create Swindon's first skateboard park and a five-a- side football pitch in Haydon Wick has been unveiled.

And the plan has been greeted enthusiastically by young skaters in the town.

The £100,000 scheme, to transform land adjoining Haydonleigh Primary School, is a joint project between the school and Haydon Wick Parish Council.

Head teacher Jon Swaffield said that half of the money will be met by a grant from the Government's New Opportunities Fund, with the balance being met by the parish council.

He explained that one of the conditions of receiving the grant money is that it should be used both by the school and also by the public.

"We envisage it being used during the school day for PE activities. Then after school, it will be opened to the community.

"The pitch will be floodlit, so that it can be used for activities after school.

"Young people often say that they have nowhere to go skateboarding, so this will provide them with somewhere that is safe to do so.

"We will make sure that the floodlighting is turned off by nine in the evening to reduce light pollution.

"The site is also quite a distance from nearby housing so we don't believe that it will cause any disturbance to people living in the area. I see it being a real asset, not just for the school, but also for the community."

Parish council chairman Richard Halestone said: "The extra land was acquired by the school about five or six years ago and it was felt that it would be a good idea that the land should be of benefit to both the school and the local community.

"We carried out a consultation exercise with some of the kids in our area and we found that many felt there was little in the way of amenities for them in the town."

Although a temporary skate boarding facility had been set up at the Link Centre last year, youngsters looking for a safe place to follow their sport feel that their demands are not being met.

Skaters in the town have mounted a long running battle for a suitable park to be built in Swindon.

Shaun Zerebecki, 16, from Freshbrook, compiled a report to highlight the lack of a suitable park in the town.

He argued that Bath, Calne and Bristol have skate parks, but Swindon has yet to build a permanent one.

Ed Russell, 20, is a student and part-time shop assistant at the Tower 12 boarding shop in Old Town. He said: "Boarders in Swindon have been waiting years for a park, but with this council I doubt it'll get built.

"I think it's awful that a village like Bampton in Oxfordshire, which has only got about 1,000 people living in it has a great skateboard park, but Swindon with 250,000 people hasn't got anything."

Dean Tregoning, 15, who lives in Shrivenham Road, has been boarding for five weeks. He said: "It would be great to have a skateboard park. It's long way from my house, but I would go there."

His friend Ben Stevenson, 15, of St Andrew's Ridge agreed. "It would be really good fun, as long as it had all the ramps, half pipes and rails, I wouldn't have to come into town then," he said.

In February 2001, a £45,000 skate park was opened at Monkton Park in Chippenham, but it was closed after complaints to a local government ombudsman.

A plan for a skate park off Greenbridge Road was backed by Stratton St Margaret Parish Council, which set aside £40,000.

But in January last year, the proposed park was rejected by Swindon Council after residents objected.

In Highworth a group called Sk8ers has been campaigning to have a park built in their town.

Although they have raised £7,000, under the guidance of Methodist minister Roger Faulkner, they are still looking for a suitable venue.