Drybrook-based building contractors MF Freeman have put spades in the ground for Cinderford's much-anticipated £250,000 skate park.

First unveiled as a vision more than a decade ago, the project, led by Cinderford Town Council, now has a £250,000 price tag and will be sited at the Miners' Welfare Playing Fields, off Barleycorn Square. Town councillors hailed the scheme's final go-ahead as a fantastic facility for young people in the area.

After the first earthwork began with a ground-breaking ceremony late last month, Cinderford Town Council celebrated the progress which has been coorodinated through MF Freeman, skatepark construction firm Maverick Industries and project managers Arcus.

A spokesman for MF Freeman said: "We are on site to carry out the important drainage works that need to occur prior to the skatepark build, as well as building the car park and the footpaths for the site."

The skatepark is expected to be completed in the new year and the company added it was "a fantastic facility for the young people of Cinderford... we are so proud to be a part of this important project."