Range of diversionary activities take place at Sherwood Avenue Skatepark in Newark

A range of diversionary activities took place at a Newark park to engage with young people and turn their minds away from anti-social behaviour.

The event at Sherwood Avenue offered free-riding, competitions and giveaways and included organisations such as Newark and Sherwood District Council, the police and the youth services intervention team.

Roger Jackson, portfolio holder for Cleaner, Safer, Greener at the district council, said: “In partnership with Extreme Wheels Roadshow, we hosted a successful event at Newark Skatepark on Sherwood Avenue, which included free riding, competitions, giveaways and music for those aged nine years and over.

“Our Community Protection Officers engaged with young people from the town who use the park regularly and spoke about the importance of keeping the park a cleaner and safer place to be for all, including potential improvements that could be made with support from us and the town council.

“The event was funded by the police and crime commissioner's Community Safety Partnership Fund and formed part of our work to combat anti-social behaviour and make our communities safe places to live. We work alongside our community safety partners to provide a range of diversionary activities across the district, focusing on anti-social behaviour hotspot areas.

“Officers from Newark Police offered free bike marking during the event, helping to reduce cycle theft, identify stolen bikes and assist in owner recovery.

"The Youth Service Interventions Team (North) and Nottinghamshire County Council also attended to provide support. We’d like to give a big thank you to everyone who helped with the event and also to those young people who attended and spoke with the various teams in attendance.”