Along with Cllr Gill Burnett, Cllr Jill Waring and the Kidsgrove Town Deal Board, Jonathan secured £100k from the £17.6 million Kidsgrove Town Deal advance payment to fund a UK-leading Pump Track at Newchapel Rec.
The Pump Track opened in June 2021 and has proved hugely popular with young people from Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent and further afield. The contractors, Clark & Kent, who built the track hailed it as the "best in the country".
It features elevated starting platforms, and a range of jumps and obstacles, and is suitable for BMX bikes, rollerblades, scooters and skateboards.
Delighted with the opening, speaking to The Sentinel, Jonathan said:
"I am thrilled to see the opening of the pump track at Newchapel Rec. A massive thank you to local contractors, Clark & Kent, who have provided Kidsgrove with one of the best facilities on the country. I was delighted to secure the £100,000 from the advanced Town Deal payment from the government to make it this possible.
“This facility will bring the whole community, young and old, together who I am sure will enjoy it as much as I did today.
“I hope the town council will back my plan for a community tuck shop at Newchapel Rec, of which all funds raised will help towards the pump tracks ongoing maintenance costs.
“The £17.6 million Kidsgrove Town Deal shows that under this government Kidsgrove and Talke will never be forgotten again.”
Since the opening, Cllr Jill Waring has secured bins to be installed at the site following an issue with dropped litter, and Jonathan has lobbied both Kidsgrove Town Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to ask for a solution for potentially manning the track, through a marshalling scheme.
As part of CCTV being rolled out across Kidsgrove Parish in 2023, following Jonathan's successful campaign for new and improved CCTV across Kidsgrove, Talke and Newchapel, the pump track is now monitored by a camera to prevent any antisocial behaviour from happening at Newchapel Rec.
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VIDEO - Jonathan attends site during Pump Track construction
