Stop moaning, officers urged

Skate park campaigner Neal Reed, of High Street, Wallingford, has hit back at Town Mayor Alec Hayton, who condemned vandalism and damage in Castle Gardens in a letter to the Oxford Mail's sister paper, the Wallingford Herald.

Mr Reed said he agreed that vandalism could not be condoned - but said the town council should start thinking positively how to help local youngsters. He added: "We have an ideal chance to kill two birds with one stone - cut vandalism, give youngsters something they do want and a place where they can ride as well as keeping up the Castle Gardens for the public to enjoy."

He said he had asked the town and district councils for backing to build an out-of-town area set aside for roller skaters and cyclists - but his ideas fell on deaf ears.

Mr Reed said: "This was at the same time as there were widespread complaints about youngsters riding round the streets on their bikes, riding on paths and making a nuisance of themselves generally. "My idea is backed by a 200-name petition, there are possibilities for grants with part-funding by local Government, and several firms were interested to give materials for the venture. But no-one on the councils showed any hint of interest.

"Several people made it obvious that any attempt to build such an area would be frowned on."

He said: "It's time for councils to stop thinking negatively and start acting positively." In his letter, Mr Hayton said he would have liked to have seen gates into the Castle Gardens kept open. But when they were left open recently, the mountain bikers and others had gone through and caused a lot of damage.

He added: "It is not the town council who are mean-spirited, just the teenaged cyclists. Until youngsters begin to respect their town and stop causing this wanton damage, the gates have to be kept closed."

Story date: Friday 22 October

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