A group of campaigners have won £50,000 funding to restore the iconic half-pipe at Malton Skate Park.
Ryedale District Council voted unanimously to award the funding to restore the half-pipe ramp.
After 15 months of campaigning by skateboarders, the halfpipe will be repaired, completing the skatepark which has also undergone a major refurbishment.
Ryan Swain led the Rescue The Ramp campaign. He said: “The halfpipe will be saved, making it the second free to use outdoor half-pipe in the country.
“It’s going to be a huge tourist attraction and will see skaters and riders from all over the region and beyond use it.
“Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting and showed their support and have stood by us since it began.
“Now the hard work begins – and I’m ready to finish this once and for all for the community and beyond.”
Tony Hawk support
The campaign has been backed numerous professional sports stars, such as Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Bucky Lasek and Jamie Bestwick.
Ryan said reopening the half-pipe will put Malton “well and truly on the map” within the action sports community.
The ramp, which opened 21 years ago, is thought to be the country’s largest. It is the only one in the north and just one of ten in the country which is free to use.
Mr Swain said he is excited to see all generations flood through the gates to use the facility once again.
After completing the work on the new skate park in late April, Ryan said: “We’ve been completely refurbishing the skate park, we’ve stripped all of the old ramps back, covered them with new surfaces.
“They took a lot of work, a lot of them were in very poor condition and some of the metalwork and fabrication work was very complex to repair.”
A blue plaque has also been put in place at the newly repaired skate park in honour of Tom Warrington, who sadly passed away in 2008.
“Tom was one of the finest BMX talents to come out of Malton,” Ryan said.
“But above all he was one of the most charming, fun loving, kind-hearted and generous spirits many of us have ever known. Now, a little piece of him will always be flying over us down there.”
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