Skate park back open after yobs forced temporary closure of Doncaster facility

The Doncaster community group Woodlands Speaks spent £250,000 on the project after securing a grant to build the facility to provide an activities for youngster in the area.

But within 10 days, it was shut because of anti-social behaviour which included suspected drugs dealing, and aggressive dogs being brought onto the site, next to Woodlands Leisure Centre.

Now, after meetings between Woodlands Speaks, Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust, Doncaster Council, and South Yorkshire Police, the facility is back up and running with new measures taken to keep undesirables away.

Extra security has been put in place including CCTV cameras, and fixed opening times have been brought in.

Police are now also aware of the issues and will look at the site. Doncaster Council neighbourhoods staff are also going to be keeping an eye on it, said Steph Bramhald, community manager with Woodlands Speaks.

She said: “We managed to secure lottery funding and it has been four years for this to come to fruition. It’s a great facility where young children can even use a flat area to use their bikes with stabilisers.

“It was really disappointing that it had to shut because of antisocial behaviour. It was just a few people who were causing trouble.

“We are so pleased it is open again.”

The site is managed by staff at the leisure centre, on whose land it was built.

Michael Hart, chief executive of Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust, which runs the centre, said: “We we’re saddened to have to temporarily close the skate park next to Adwick Leisure Complex due to anti social behaviour.“However, operating a multi agency approach with South Yorkshire Police and Woodland Speaks, who funded the project, we have successfully reopened for the community of Woodlands, Adwick and the wider borough.”

Insp Adrian Luscombe, South Yorkshire Police’s neighbourhoods inspector for Doncaster West said: “We hope that there are no further issues as this is a fantastic community facility.

“The skate park is really useful community asset and we want it to be used by youngsters for skating, not for antisocial behaviour, and our neighbourhood officers will be working with the trust to make sure it is used properly.”