A BEWDLEY boy has started a petition calling for a new skate park to be built at Tudor Road park in Bark Hill.

Brandon Langford, 12, of Baldwin Road, has collected 70 signatures so far and will present his appeal to Bewdley Town Council in September.

He wants the new facility to include a quarter-pipe, half-pipe, grind rails and ramps and believes it could become a hub for youth activities in his area.

Brandon, who has been skating and scootering for four years, said: “Young people on my estate need somewhere to go and, to be honest, we feel neglected.

“The nearest skate park at Shaw Hedge Road is two miles away from where we live and even that has been condemned.

“Having a skate park on our doorstep, however, would be fantastic.”

The Wolverley CE Secondary School pupil was inspired to create the petition after seeing the “amazing facilities” at a skate park in Cookley.

Brandon added: “The Cookley site is great and I know that a lot of my friends at school use it. We need something like this in Bewdley.

“Tudor Road play area is really well used by kids from across the estate and to have something here, especially as they are preparing to redevelop it, would be incredible.”

Mayor of Bewdley Derek Killingworth, who has backed Brandon’s idea, said: “It saddens me greatly that any child would feel that they are being neglected by the town and this has to change.

“What inspires me is when young people, like Brandon, make all this effort to get peoples’ opinions and to work so hard on making us listen.

“That is the key here - councillors are here to listen and to work for their communities.”

Independent and Community Health Concern councillor Philip Edmundson added: “Fellow councillors and I have started discussions with The Community Housing Group and town council on what we can do together for the community around Bark Hill.

“We need to work in unison to provide for the area.”