'˜Good times' - look back at heyday of South Tyneside BMX track

Readers have looked back at the heyday for a South Tyneside BMX track which will now feature in a £40,000 project.
Gerard New of Tyneside Outdoors at the site of the old BMX dirt track.Gerard New of Tyneside Outdoors at the site of the old BMX dirt track.
Gerard New of Tyneside Outdoors at the site of the old BMX dirt track.

Young people from across South Tyneside will join youth workers from Tyneside Outdoors to find out more about the track, on Temple Memorial Park, which entertained a generation of bike fans during the 1980s.

The track has lain neglected for the past three decades and overgrown by brambles, bushes, nettles and other vegetation.

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But now, thanks to a £39,800 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) its history is about to be shared to a new generation of young people.

It led to readers looking back and commenting on our Facebook page. Kenny Elliott wrote: “Spent many a weekend racing round here, you could opt for the shorter track or the longer route if feeling fit enough. Those were the days!”

Chris Barron commented: “To be successful it needs to fenced in, the original track was never maintained and there was always pubbles at the far end. The circuit also needs to be widened like Olympic BMX tracks for proper racing as you would struggle to get two abreast in certain parts.”

Paul Roberts said: “Used to ride my Raleigh Grifter around here which we called the foxes den. There was a smaller track first which they built the larger track around in the mid-80s.”

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Olivia Fowlie commented: “Fantastic idea get kids playing out again instead of wasting their time on computer games and imaginary worlds.”

Evan Hannard wrote: “I used to ride my Raleigh Burner on that track when I was young. Good times.”