New town skatepark built after old one wore out

A new skatepark has opened in a Derbyshire town after the previous wooden facility was worn out and had to shut.

The ribbon was cut on Wirksworth’s new Josh Stockell Community Skatepark on Saturday, after four years of work by volunteers from New Opportunities Wirksworth (Now).

Now member Josh Stockell died in February, so the group decided to name the facility he helped to create at Fanny Shaw’s Park in his memory.

His son Alfie cut the ribbon as part of the grand opening event.

Mr Stockell was a carpenter and had spent many years working to keep Wirksworth’s previous skatepark in usable condition.

But the town lost its skatepark of 15 years in 2020 after heavy use meant the ramps and rails were finally deemed unsafe and needed to be removed.

The new skatepark, which has been under construction by contractor Wheelscape since 2023, is concrete and should prove more durable.

Alison Clamp, from Now, said: “Much to the delight of its young residents, Wirksworth has a new skatepark.

“The volunteers have spent many hours running fundraising events, completing funding applications and facilitating community engagement.

“The group is very grateful for the huge support from Wirksworth especially in terms of funding which has come from a wide range of groups, businesses and individuals, from Knit and Natter to the town council, while the major grant came from Tarmac’s Landfill Communities Fund.”

There are plans to have a memorial to Mr Stockell added to the park.

Now is also hoping to create a Friends of the Skatepark group to keep it as a welcoming and safe place for the community.

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