A £63,000 skate park in Lancaster has finally opened, after years of campaigning by skaters. The park is at Green Ayre, on the north side of the Greyhound Bridge next to the River Lune. The gates opened on Monday night and the ramps are buzzing already.

David Owen, Chief Leisure Officer for Lancaster City Council said, "A lot of people have worked for a very, very long time for this. The response and the reaction of those who are skating is what we'd hoped for. When they say 'awesome' and 'wicked', I may not understand it, but I think I've got the drift!"

The location, design and builders of the skatepark were chosen by local skaters. This group of skaters will now co-manage the park with the Council.

Steven Marsland, 28, from Preston has been skating for over 15 years and came to check out the skatepark as soon as it opened. He's hoping that Preston Council will build one too and he's prepared to start fundraising with his mates to make sure his city gets skateboarding facilities like Lancaster.

Now skaters have got some top concrete ramps to skate, this bench in Dalton Square will get some respite from constant grinding

Skaters used to rip it up in Dalton Square, which wasn't much fun for the local residents out for a pleasant stroll. But the new park will change all that and now the residents' moans have turned into smiles as they watch the action on the new ramps.

The skatepark will officially be opened in street style, with the Lancaster Skatepark Festival on 2 August 2003. The festival will feature a battle of the bands, DJ sets, skateboard and BMX demos, graffiti artists and breakdancing.

There are two more skate parks planned for North Lancashire, one in Morecambe and one in a rural area for skaters who live in villages.