A BRAND new state-of-the-art skate park has finally opened in Cirencester, with skateboarders travelling all across the region to enjoy the new facility.

Organisers have thanked everyone involved for turning what was once just a dream for Cirencester, into reality.

The idea for a skate park in Cirencester came about eight years ago, yet construction only began in October 2013.

Originally it had intended to be open at the end of 2013 but work was delayed due to bad weather.

In February, the park was dealt another blow when it was announced that 1Skatepark, the company constructing the project had gone into administration, and the skate park sat unfinished for several months.

Now the £200,000 project, funded by Cirencester Town Council with support from Sport England, is finally complete and skateboarders of all abilities will be able to enjoy the park, based at Kingshill Sports Complex, this summer.

Chief executive at Cirencester Town Council Andrew Tubb said he wanted to thank everyone involved in making the dream a reality.

“This is a fantastic facility for Cirencester which we hope will benefit the local economy as well as being a destination for skateboarders,” he said.

Gareth Parsons of Decimal skate store in Cirencester’s Swan Yard said even during the first few days of opening the park, they had already had more than 400 people coming to use it.

“It still seems unreal. We are lucky enough to have one of the best skate parks in the south of England on our doorstep,” he said. “Last weekend made all the years hard work worth it. I would like to thank everyone involved in making this facility happen. We should be proud.”

The skate park will be officially opened on Sunday, August 17 but people will be able to use it before then.

Improvements to the site are still to come and skating fans can expect to see a developments to the existing metal facility for scooters and a BMX track.