SKATERS who use the Ross-on-Wye skate park are celebrating this week, after the facility was awarded a new grant.

The money has come to the Basement Youth Trust, a charity providing activities for young people in the Ross-on-Wye area, and was provided by Barclays Bank's Spaces For Sports community sports programme.

The grant, which amounts to £6,329, will fund a new covered seating area and a generator.

Organisers said: "The new funding for the skate park follows previous grants totalling £70,000 from Barclays and the Football Foundation since 2006. These grants have been used to deliver structured sessions, competitions and holiday programmes at the site which has helped reduce anti-social behaviour in the area by 25 per cent, while the number of regular users at the site has increased to 120 per week."

Susan Wilding, from the Basement Youth Trust, said: "The grant from Barclays has allowed sessions to be run at Ross-on-Wye skatepark throughout the summer for the second year running. Youth workers from the Basement Youth Trust have been running sessions at the park which provided opportunities for young people to develop their skills and share these with others. Professionals in skateboarding, scooters, skating and BMX led the skills development sessions at weekends during the spring, summer and early autumn. The funding has allowed young people to grow in confidence, use the skatepark more frequently and encouraged more new users onto the site."

Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire said: "I am delighted that Barclays is choosing to invest in the future of Ross on Wye Skate Park and the local community. The work that the Basement Youth Trust carry out at the site makes a big difference to the local community."