Olympic champion wants to see skate park reopened

An Olympic BMX rider has said she wants to see the skate park which helped her win gold at the Olympics to reopen.

Charlotte Worthington used RUSH Skate Park, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, to train, along with Olympic bronze medallist Declan Brooks and Olympic silver medallist Kieran Reilly.

Professional scooter rider Jay Sweet, from Dursley in Gloucestershire, also trained at the park, which closed in August 2021, and he has now taken over the charity that aims to reopen it.

"Rush made me the person I am today. If it wasn't for that park, I definitely wouldn't be at the level I am in my sport right now. I just want to give future generations the same chance," said Sweet.

Worthington was the first woman to pull off a 360 backflip in competition, and the first female BMX freestyle Olympic champion.

"Rush played quite a big role in developing me as a rider and it eventually took me to winning a gold medal at the Olympics," she said.

The park, which was based at Brimscombe Port, closed in 2021 to make way for redevelopment.

Attempts were made to reopen the park by the charity's previous owners, who considered a site in Moreton Valence. However, the project was unsuccessful.

Sweet, 23, said he and the new trustee team have managed to reduce the estimated overall project cost by more than 80%, bringing it down to £1million from £2million.

He is currently ranked fourth in the UK in the professional elite category.

Sweet said the charity is currently searching for a site for the proposed park, and is actively seeking investors, sponsors and grant funding.

Freddie Aplin, an 18-year-old scooter rider from Tetbury, said the park's closure had "a big impact" on his life,

"I used to be there five times a week to see people, not even just to ride, just to see friends,

"When it first shut, I would have to travel over to Cardiff every weekend and that was quite hard because my parents work and I couldn't drive," Aplin said.

Worthington said the role local skate parks play in young peoples lives is "so important" and provides them with "a community of people their own age".

Sweet said the Rush park made a big difference to him, and he now wants other young athletes to have the same opportunities,

"I think there's a lot of talent in Gloucestershire. They just haven't got the facilities to shine, really."

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