WORK has started on an eagerly-awaited project to transform an ageing skateboard park into a facility “the whole community can be proud of”.

Gravity EngineeOuring has begun to demolish the 20-year-old equipment, which will be replaced by a new skatepark that meets modern standards.

Plans to create a showpiece facility at Bartley Park, Totton, have been drawn up by the skateboarders themselves.

A Bartley Skatepark Community Group spokesman said: “We want to bring back the WOW factor the park had when it opened at the start of the millennium by giving it a much-needed and long overdue makeover.

“The existing skatepark has served us well over the years but is seriously out of date and needs updating.”

Totton and Eling Town Council has donated £150,000 to the project developers’ contributions.

The skateboarders have also been awarded £100,000 by the Veolia Environmental Trust, which funds community projects.

A Veolia spokesman said: “The new skatepark will be a concrete structure incorporating ramps, curved ‘bowl’ areas and features that replicate those found in the urban environment."

“The current equipment was installed in the 1990s and is now in need of serious repair.”

The campaign has been led by Jonathan and Jenny Harrison, whose teenage skateboarding son Daniel uses the park.

Mr Harrison said: “We want to turn it into a magical area the whole community can be proud of.

“The skatepark is old and out-dated, with fibreglass surfaces and ramps that wobble. It’s capable of being turned into a amazing facility.”

Ward councillor David Harrison praised members of the group.

He said: “In nearly 30 years as a councillor I’ve rarely been so impressed by the focus and energy put into a project such as this.

“When they first approached me for support and asked about sources of finance things didn’t seem very encouraging, given the huge cost of the facility and the shortage of local government funding.

“Luckily there was a large pot of developers’ contributions that could be used, along with a fantastic grant from Veolia.

“So ‘Big Respect’ to all the young people who worked together to make what seemed unlikely actually happen. We all look forward to seeing the new skatepark opening later this year.”