DOZENS of skaters and BMX riders flocked to a new indoor skate park as it opened its doors to the public for the first time.

The skate park, which has yet to be named, on the Faverdale Industrial Estate, in Darlington, is only half complete, but its new street course proved a popular draw for riders and skaters of all ages.

The unofficial opening of the skate park is the latest step of a long fundraising and building process for 4Motion, a Darlington charity dedicated to supporting wheeled sports in the town.

4Motion teamed up with Darlington Gymnastics Club to take over the former Amdega warehouse, with the aim of creating two new sporting facilities for young people.

The street course at the skate park will be open for four weeks while the second half of the facility is being completed. The park will then close for the overall finishing touches before a grand opening in the spring.

Demand for the first weekend was expected to be high, so skaters and riders were restricted to two hour slots to allow as many people as possible to try the street course.

Nigel Potter, of 4Motion, said he was pleased that the months of hard work to get the site up and running was beginning to pay off.

He said: “The kids have been getting very excited about it park finally opening.

“We had a private event last week for people who have been involved in building it as a little thank you and we had some pro skaters in to try it out before we opened to the public and everyone has been very positive.

“We’re really pleased that so many people came to try it out.”

The skate park will be open on Tuesday, January 21 and Friday, January 24, between 4pm and 10pm, when the two hour pre-booked time slots will also apply.

A two hour session costs £4.50. Riders should arrive 15 minutes before their booked slot.

Skaters and riders must book their places in advance by calling 01325-460550, e-mailing enquiries@4motiondarlington.org, or through 4Motion’s Facebook page. More details on opening arrangements for the skate park after the first week will be available on the Facebook page.