Chippenham's fully accessible centre 'one-of-a-kind'

A state-of-the-art skate park and climbing centre has helped to make local sports more inclusive, according to residents.

Para-climber Mary Meilton, 23, said she was "buzzing" when The Arc's fully accessible facility opened last month.

"Inclusion means disabled and non-disabled sport side-by-side," she added.

The purpose-built facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire, offers bouldering, roped climbing, and a cafe.

Local residents had spent 18 years campaigning for a skate park in Wiltshire's largest town, which it was said "suffers from a lack of investment".

Phil Tansley from the Chippenham Borough Lands Charity which built the £2.9m facility said the skate park had always been a "contentious subject".

"There are those that want it, there are those that don't want it, those who think it brings anti-social behaviour, those who don't want it in their back gardens."

He said this one was able to be built because it is locked up with the rest of the centre at the end of the day, reducing the chance of anti-social behaviour.

The Arc is one of the first climbing centres in the UK to be built from the ground-up, rather than adapted from existing space.

"We wanted to really push the boat out and put Chippenham on the mark but also offer the people of Chippenham something you don't usually get in a market town," added Mr Tansley.

He added that despite being the county's largest town, Chippenham did not receive enough investment, hence the charity funding the project.

Ms Meilton, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, said she had previously travelled to Swindon or Bristol to climb.

Her disability means she can sometimes only climb for 20 minutes at once.

"When you're driving for two hours for a 20-minute session.. it wasn't working very well."

"I'd always said 'I love Chippenham but the one thing it's missing is a climbing centre'.

"When they said they were opening it I was like right, I'm happy to live here forever now!"

She said The Arc was one of the only centres she had been to that had a lift.

"Which isn't rocket science, but people think because you can climb a wall you can climb the stairs but that's not necessarily the case."

Ms Meilton said the facility would be great for local people's physical and mental health.

"When you're on the wall the only thing you can be thinking about is climbing and the wall."

She said disability and climbing were not always put together but that the para-climbing community was actually "huge".

"To have a fully accessible climbing centre creates an atmosphere of inclusion and puts greater value in our community.

"We're legitimate climbers in our own rights, our bodies just move a little differently to everyone else.

"We don't need to be separated and have special groups and special clubs."

Local skater Jon Wills praised the new skate park, which he said would stop the public from seeing younger skaters as a nuisance in public places.

He said he now uses the centre alongside his children who were "very excited to start a new hobby rock climbing".

The finishing touches to the site are still to be completed, including a children's play park.

The centre will be officially opened with a ceremony on 9 April, attended by Gloucestershire-based Mount Everest climber Kenton Cool.

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