Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Billy Webb is preparing to cut the ribbon on the £750,000 EU PEACE IV funded Skate 100 this weekend, Saturday 07 May.
Located at the Valley Leisure Centre, the 14,000 sq ft facility is one of the largest of its kind in the UK and Ireland, suitable for skateboards, scooters, inline skaters, Parkour and BMX freestyle.
Speaking about the upcoming opening, Mayor Webb said: "It's been expertly designed to attract urban sports enthusiasts from near and far and it's another fabulous asset within V36 Valley Park. The local community will reap the rewards from this shared space as it will accommodate urban sports for many years to come.
"I've met some users of the skate park and have been delighted with their rave reviews and amazed at their passion for their sport."
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The V36 Urban Sports Park is a project supported by the European Union's PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The Council aimed to create a shared space for the diverse communities near the Valley Park, which is an extensive area of land between Bawnmore and Longlands and Rathcoole.
The project aims to encourage young people to engage in an active, healthy lifestyle, as well as embracing the urban sports culture, whilst having the added benefit of enhancing and expanding an existing shared space and providing additional activities for local communities in the surrounding areas.
Chairperson of the Antrim and Newtownabbey PEACE IV Partnership Councillor Paul Dunlop commented: "As in every other aspect of life and society, the COVID pandemic had a huge impact on our PEACE Programme, with the maximum impact felt on the capital projects which had not yet commenced.
"I, along with my PEACE IV Partnership colleagues, are very grateful to the funders, the SEUPB, who worked closely with council staff to find a solution and the result is the fantastic Skate 100 park, which will be a lasting PEACE IV shared space legacy for Antrim and Newtownabbey.
"I wish all the users, present and future, many hours of fun and many lasting friendships made."
Work began on the urban sports park in 2021. Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
