THE mayor of Test Valley Pat West joined Broughton Parish Council chairman Sue Lydeard to officially open the village skatepark, described as the realisation of youngsters' dreams, on Saturday.

The £27,000 skatepark project has been driven by Action for Broughton Youth, a committee of parents under the leadership of Kate Oakes.

The equipment, sited on parish council land, includes a half pipe, flat ramp, driveway, grind rail and quarter pipe. Villagers in Broughton, which has a population of just over 1,000, helped support fundraising projects by local youngsters including a sponsored bike ride, car wash, skate demonstration and tennis tournament, which together raised £2,250 towards the cost of the park.

Donors including Test Valley Borough Council, Awards for All, Hampshire Playing Fields Association, Broughton Parish Council, Hampshire Police, The Hildon Foundation, Broughton Dowse Trust, Broughton Firework Club and personal donors were all invited to the ceremony.

The parish council owns the equipment and will be responsible for future maintenance.