Call for people to dig deep for South Shields' lost BMX track

Kind-hearted residents are being urged to dig deep to help out a charity unearth a forgotten BMX track in South Shields.
Tyneside Outdoor's Gerard New at the BMX track at Temple Memorial ParkTyneside Outdoor's Gerard New at the BMX track at Temple Memorial Park
Tyneside Outdoor's Gerard New at the BMX track at Temple Memorial Park

Tyneside Outdoors are not asking for cash but for people’s time as they continue to bring back to life a track which provided fun for youngsters in the 1980s.

They are hoping with the public’s help they can bring it back into use for today’s young people.

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The charity are asking people with spare time on their hands to call down to the site on Temple Memorial Park on Tuesday between 10am and 4pm.

The event is part of a global campaign ‘Giving Tuesday’ which aims to combat the materialism that surrounds this time of year by encouraging people to get involved with a cause they want to help in any way they like.

Gerard New, Youth and Community Worker with Tyneside Outdoors said “We’re not asking people to dig deep into their pockets but to dig in with some work clearing an old BMX Dirt Track in Temple Memorial Park South Shields. We have a massive challenge ahead of us this winter to clear decades of brambles and other overgrown vegetation that have almost smothered the track out of existence.”

The Heritage Lottery funded BMX Heritage Project is engaging young people in research to find out the history of the BMX Track built in Temple Park sometime in the 1980’s.

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TO are asking local people and organisations to help clear the track of vegetation so that the young people, assisted by an archaeologist, can start the process of measuring and recording the track.

Marc Barkman Astles, Archaeologist from Archaeosoup Productions said: “Despite it only being created in the 1980’s it’s surprisingly difficult to find people who know much about the track or how and when it was built.”

All tools and safety equipment for the work, which has been described as heavy gardening work, will supplied on the day for volunteers.

Gerard added: “The work is hard graft but is very rewarding, especially when you find a tyre, marking the edge of the track, that hasn’t been seen in 20 years.” 

For details on the event visit Tyneside Outdoors on Facebook.