Young people in Purton have seen their dream of a new, £60,000 skate park come true.

The park in the village centre near the war memorial, was opened on July 4 and will provide teenagers with a safe, sociable place to practise their skills.

The opening of the park follows a petition drawn up by a group of friends, led by Ryan and Carl Cozens aged 16 and 17 respectively.

The brothers presented a petition, calling for a skatepark, to Purton Parish Council in 2007.

Ryan said that parish councillors had been very supportive and guided him and his friends through the process.

“The park is brilliant, everyone is using it,” he said. “Apart from a football pitch and a play park, there is nowhere else to go.

“At our age we don’t really want a playpark so it’s really great to have somewhere else to go.”

Parish council chairman Michael Bell said: “There simply aren’t enough places for teenagers to go. So when we were approached with the petition, we checked it for feasibility and made it happen.”

A mobile skate park supplied by the former Wiltshire County Council used to call three or four times a year was always well supported so the council knew there was sufficient demand.”

After an unsuccessful application for a National Lottery grant, the project was part-funded by the Wiltshire Young People’s Opportunity Fund.

The concrete park has taken two months to construct and includes a half-pipe, steps, rails and a ‘fun-box’.

“The teenagers kept a close watch on the design to ensure the final product is exactly what they had in mind,” said Mr Bell.