Ivybridge residents will soon get to have their say on exciting plans for a new skate park.

Skate South Devon CIC (SSD) has been selected as a partner in the brand new ‘Forest Rising’ project.

It will help put young people at the heart of decision making in the development of the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest.

Nick Harris from Skate South Devon said: ‘‘It’s going to be a great project and we will soon be opening a consultation so local people can give us their views.

‘‘The next stage will be to try and raise as much money as possible.’’

Nick added: ‘‘At the moment there’s not much for young people to do if they’re not in to things like football and rugby.’’

Ivybridge Town Council, will provide land at Filham Park and space for workshops as part of the project. There’ll be a groundbreaking, wheeled sports ‘pump park’ that promises to be much more than just a location for skateboarding and BMX.

By participating in the Forest Rising project, SSD is helping to put the next generation of local leaders at the heart of decision making on the development of the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest.

Forest Rising is a nine month programme for 16-28 year olds, offering a platform for younger people to be heard and get involved in local action, to influence and inform the creation and running of the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest. It will give space for young people to develop ideas, to design woodland habitats and the activity they want to see; to sit at the table with decision makers and to implement their ideas in relation to nature recovery, where they live. Forest Rising is a part of the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest, an ambitious project that will see thousands of new trees planted in South and West Devon and Dartmoor over the next few years. The Community Forest is a patchwork of connected woodlands, anything from small urban parks and green spaces, to larger rural planting projects and is a partnership between South Hams, Plymouth and West Devon Councils along with The National Trust and Woodland Trust.

It is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Detailed plans for the pump park will be released very soon. Accompanied by a new building for the community, incorporating a cafe, workshop, and events space - the facility will be the first of its kind in the UK. Concrete curves have been expertly designed to wrap through a woodland planted by local young people by one of the UK’s finest urban sports designers; Jeremy Donaldson. Jeremy has designed more skateparks in the UK than anyone else and now works internationally with Curve Studio to create active spaces in harmony with nature and community.

Interested participants, between the ages of 16-28, can find out more about the Forest Rising project from the link below. Those who want to get involved in designing the new woodland and skate facility in Ivybridge can sign up at the same link. https://realideas.org/about-us/our-work/forest-rising/