Olympic BMXer, Shanaze Reade, will officially open the brand new £200,000 sports area and BMX track at Colshaw Farm this Saturday, 17th April.
The official opening will start at 1pm with a daring BMX display from Shanaze and the Cheshire Ghost Riders, a penalty shoot out with former England player Mark Wright and sporting activities for all the family throughout the afternoon.
The BMX professionals will also provide coaching sessions for young BMXers, alongside the first football and basketball matches on the new pitches and courts. There’ll also be competitions, face painting, bouncy castles, graffiti workshops and bungee trampolines to try out.
Riverside funded the £200,000 project from a successful bid in partnership with social landlords Places for People and Peabody, which secured £15.6million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces project to develop 75 projects across England.
Young people have been involved since the project started in May 2009, when Groundwork and Riverside organised events and workshops in youth clubs and schools with the BMX track architects, Clark & Kent Contractors, to talk to the young people about the track design and encourage them to get involved.
Specialists in regenerating community green spaces, Groundwork Cheshire, managed the project in partnership with Riverside and Cheshire East Council, working closely with the community and Cheshire Police to develop a quality facility for local residents.
Sian Martin-Baez, Riverside regeneration officer, said, “We are thrilled that the BMX track and sports area is opening this weekend, and that young and older members of the community have been involved in its design right from the beginning.
“Before we invested in the project, the land was neglected and rarely used because it suffered from drainage problems, but now it will be a place which everyone can enjoy having fun in for years to come.”
Fiona Cowley, Groundwork project manager, adds “The games area is a flagship facility for the community at Colshaw Farm and it is testament to the fantastic support and input we received from local residents, the police and our other partners, without whom, the project would not have been such a success”.
“Originally we thought the project would focus on a multi-use games area but the young people were quite clear they also wanted a BMX track. I’m pleased that we were able to respond to the feedback they gave us and by working with Clark and Kent contractors we have been able to provide a unique and innovative track which will be challenging for all abilities”.
