I would like to put a parent's viewpoint concerning the teenagers who use(d) the Chippenham skate park.

I'll confess that before my son became interested in skateboarding, I viewed the skate park with a certain amount of suspicion.

However, my son, aged 13, is now a very enthusiastic skateboarder, and used the skate park frequently.

He is an intelligent boy, who works hard at school, and not, as was suggested by Jen Bishop's article, an inarticulate potential criminal.

The suggestion that this is the type of person who used the skate park will no doubt make the residents glad that that they pursued their vendetta.

My son and his friends frequently spent all day at the park on a Saturday, and had a great deal of fun as well as plenty of healthy, safe exercise in a central and public location.

I had nothing but praise for the council in having the sense to provide such a facility for an age group who have little other provision locally.

Now the council appears to have lost its battle against the narrow-minded residents, who have chosen to devote their time to stopping teenagers having harmless fun in a public park.

What the council must do now to prove that they still have the children's interests at heart, is to provide an alternative, equally safe skate park, not in some out of the way location, which could be hazardous.

And perhaps James Gray's time would be more usefully spent trying to facilitate this process, rather than using it as an opportunity for political back-biting.

Rosie Humphrey

Ridings Mead

Chippenham