MP backs call for Kendal BMX park

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has backed a campaign run by local young people to try and bring a Regional Standard BMX Race Track to Kendal.

Their hope is that the land on which the track is built will be supplied by the council and that together they can secure £100,000 through fundraising, sponsorship and lottery grants to build a track. A regional standard race track differs from a local track in that it is a) a higher standard of track and b) it is part of a greater network of clubs in the North of England of which there are currently 13 clubs/tracks.

This means Kendal will benefit economically and socially from people visiting from all over the North of England and occasionally nationally, for a race weekend. Kendal and SouthLakes people will benefit from the opportunity to travel throughout the North of England to represent their club and the area. Many aspiring racers tour the length and breadth of the country to test themselves on different tracks and climb the ranks.

BMX Racing is currently thriving after appearing in the Olympics in 2008 and 2012. Britain has world champion BMX riders in Liam Philips and Shanaze Reade, together they are inspiring more and more kids to take up racing.

Despite BMX racing becoming increasingly popular and having clubs dotted throughout the UK, there are no race tracks between Preston and Glasgow. The campaign has set up a page on facebook and they have nearly reached 2000 likes. The page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/kendalbmxracetrack

Tim said: "I am supporting the campaign and I hope that they can work with the council and then bring businesses and sponsorship together. I know that if they can do that we could all work to secure lottery funding for the scheme. If we can do this it will build on our success in building a skatepark. I've long campaigned to improve facilities for young people in Kendal and I will back the campaign in any way I can."