Work is due to start next week on a new £100,000 skate park in Girlington after a petition by youngsters.

The project will create a facility catering for all abilities of skateboarders, skaters, roller-bladers and BMX riders and will sit alongside the play area in the centre of West Park.

Construction will start on Monday and is expected to last about three months.

A group of youngsters worked closely with BD8 Buddies – a young community group – and the Council’s sport and leisure services department to help design the facility. BD8 Buddies plans to organise a launch event to open the skate park later this year.

Kal Hussain, secretary of the BD8 Buddies group, previously told the Telegraph & Argus that the skate park was one of the first major projects for the group.

He said that young people in the area had come up with the idea for a skate park and organised a petition to gather support.

This was then taken to a Girlington forum and the project was picked up by the Council.

Saeeda Hussain, chairman of BD8 Buddies, said they would soon be sending out letters inviting people to a launch event which is being organised for the end of June.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, the Council’s executive member responsible for sport, said: “This project will transform a disused area of West Park and give children and young people a vital community space.”

Funding for the project has come from Wren Community Fund, Big Lottery Community Spaces and Bradford Council’s area initiative fund. Wren (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited) is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, conservation and heritage projects.

The T&A first reported the success of the group of young people back in August after the money was secured.