Hollingdean skaters have raised thousands of pounds to help build a new state-of-the-art skateboarding facility in their local park.

The teenagers put their case to other young people to raise nearly £15,000 from the Youth Capital Fund.

The young skateboarders were aided by local Community Development Worker, Liz Lee, who has been campaigning with them for over a year to raise the £74,999 needed to build the new skate park, which will replace a failing older one.

Liz Lee said: “There were two stages. It got through to the second stage and the boys gave all the right answers. We asked for £20,000 and got £14,800 which was really great because we didn’t think we’d get that amount.”

Local Councillor Jeane Lepper was also delighted. “It’s a very exciting project designed by the boarders themselves,” she said.

“We’ve got funding from a number of sources. It was on a knife edge. It would have been a tragedy if we hadn’t got the money.”

Lottery funded Community Spaces gave £49,999 to the project. Brighton and Hove City Council gave £8,000 and Hollingdean Development Trust provided the rest. It will also build the impressive new park.

Preliminary designs show a large bowl and railslide area to replace the existing ramp, which is now considered too inaccessible. Councillor Lepper said: “With hindsight it was probably wrong to tuck the old skate park behind the rise of the hill. It’s a bit isolated there. Some people worried about young people congregating. There were problems because they were out of sight.”

Liz Lee described the old site as being, “in a really horrible position,” and prone to antisocial behaviour. “I think people understand the reasons why the new one is being brought into the park,” she said. "It should be an area for all the community, including older teenagers as well.”

By Keith Tomlinson