YOUNG skating fans who complain teenagers are driving them off a new arena are aiming to get back on their boards through the power of the pen.

Children from Crook Primary School used their English lessons to mount a postal protest to Wear Valley District Council.

The overwhelming message from 20 of the 26 letters sent by teacher Joan Hillary's class of nine and ten-year-olds was that they wanted sessions set aside for them at the £90,000 Skate Pit.

Some of them said that older teenagers had made the park too dangerous for younger children to use.

Katie Roberts, of High Hope Street, wrote: "The older children push us off the ramps and knock us over. My friends are really sick of it."

Her neighbour, Gemma McGee, said: "I'm not allowed to go there any more in case anything happens to me."

Others, however, just wanted to say thank you.

Ruth Neil, aged nine, from Satley Close, said: "I think it was a good idea to put it in a public place so my friends and me are safe from strangers."

Now, after handing their letters over to leisure committee chairman, Councillor Danny Giblin, the children are each to get a personal reply from leisure director Paul Dobson.

He said: "We are already working with police so that all ages can use it.

"The problem is not caused by skaters, but by a small group of hangers-on who have no interest in skating.

"This is the first time that we have been able to provide something for children who don't want to be involved in formal sport, and we want it to work."

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