Bishops Green youngsters scoot along to new portable ramps

Scooter riders Ryan McNamara, of Grit Pro Team and Joe McDonald of Razor Pro Team gave tips and demonstrations, using new foldable and portable ramps funded by Greenham Common Trust, in front of some 28 eager youngsters, their families and friends.
Bishops Green teenager Liam Field, aged 17, (pictured) showed his skills in a scooter riding competition and was pitted against Mr McDonald in an exciting final.
Bishops Green youth worker Ian Green said that the event had surpassed his expectations and that, although Mr McDonald proved the winner, he was so impressed with Liam’s ability that the pro noted down his details.
“Joe asked Liam about the possibility of working for him, so that’s quite positive.”
The ramps were spotted by Bishops Green Youth Council on YouTube videos and were bought after the council’s original plan to create a small concrete skate park fell through at the pre-planning application stage on grounds of noise, owing to the close proximity of housing.
Mr Green said: “We were advised that we would almost certainly have our planning application rejected on the grounds of noise. So, as a compromise, we’ve built a dedicated space for children and young people to use their scooters, and bought some Freshpark folding ramps instead.”
The ramps will be available for young people to use on Monday afternoons and evenings during the school holidays, and on Wednesday evenings from September.
A condition of the insurance cover is that the ramps must be supervised by an adult when in use and the availability of the ramps can be extended if more adult supervisors can be found. Anyone interested in volunteering as an adult supervisor should telephone Mr Green on (01635) 26812.