New £100,000 Longridge pump track will be an ‘asset for generations to come’

The new pump track at Longridge Rec Pic: Blog Preston

Work on a new pump track in Longridge is entering its final stages.

Contractors have been on site at the Kestor Lane Recreation Ground since the start of February for the £100,000 scheme, which is being funded by £60,000 from Ribble Valley Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £40,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund.

The council said the track will provide ‘a fun and exciting place for users of all ages’ and be a ‘community asset for generations to come’.

It will be suitable for bicycles, scooters, roller blades, skateboards and wheelchairs, and follows consultation with Longridge residents, which identified the need for a wheeled sports facility in the town.

Stuart Hirst, chairman of Ribble Valley Council’s community services committee, said: “The pump track is going to be a great asset for Longridge and will provide a fun and challenging place for people of all ages, particularly youngsters, to use and enjoy on their doorstep, rather than having to travel to Preston or Blackburn.”

A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns and other features designed to be ridden by riders ‘pumping’ their bodies up and down to create momentum.

The Longridge track will feature bumps and berms up to 1.8 metres high and will be two metres wide.

Grass, wildflowers and native trees will be planted in and around the circuit to help it blend in with its setting.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve public services, restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging; and empower local leaders and communities.

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