Woodhouse Park, Peterlee - Skateboard/BMX Facility

From Street to Park: Official Opening for the Peterlee Riders

Monday 25th October 2010 saw Councillor Lillian Wood, the Mayor of Peterlee, officially open the Peterlee Skate / BMX facility in Woodhouse Park. More than 100 people watched the opening ceremony and a demonstration from professional skateboarders before they all jumped at the chance to be one of the first to ride the £135,000 skate park.

The young people of Peterlee had worked alongside Peterlee Town Council and the Record RSS team, contributing ideas on what elements to include in the scheme and the overall layout.  Working in partnership with Peterlee Town Council, Record RSS were also able to use the results of a consultation with the Youth Centre Group and come up with a design that was suitable for children off varying ages and abilities so that the skatepark could be used to help users’ progression and skill.

Youngsters from Peterlee’s Youth Centre had raised £36,000 towards the project, the remaining £100,000 coming from Durham County Council members by pooling their AAP budgets. The park includes flat banks, quarter pipes, ramps and grind rail and can be used by both skateboarders and BMX stunt riders.

Mike Foreman, Skate Specialist for Rampwerx based at Record RSS Ltd, said of the design: “After over 10 years of waiting, I am pleased to see that the local riders in Peterlee have finally got the opportunity to have a park of their own, designed specifically to their needs.  This is an excellent facility for the area and I know for sure that people will travel from surrounding areas to use this flagship park.”

Doug Belfield, Sales and Marketing Director for RecordRSS, said of the new facility “This is a great model to show how local councils can work together to get the best for their communities.  Seaham Town Council actioned a similar size park with us earlier this year and by local networking Peterlee Town Council approached us to see if we could provide a skate park on the back of the Seaham project, thus benefiting from economies of scale and a faster delivery time. What has also impressed me is the drive and enthusiasm that the youngsters have shown working with Mike (Foreman), this is a true example of community partnership.”

Leader of Peterlee Town Council, Councillor Bill Jeffrey added “This is a good example of parties working together, with Seaham Town Council and Peterlee Town Council being able to obtain added value from Record RSS, in carrying out this joint venture. This project also shows the Area Action Partnership and Town Councils working together to bring a much needed facility for the youths of the town and East Durham.”