After battling for the facility to be built for the last nine years, a large group of skaters, bikers and rollerbladers turned up in glorious weather to celebrate its opening.

The Montrose Skate Park Committee, who co-ordinated the fundraising effort, put on burgers and refreshments for the youths, who wasted no time in trying out the ramps, grinds and rails.

Music was courtesy of the young local bands who arranged and performed in the numerous skate jams over the years that raised the majority of the £25,000 the skate park committee needed to get the facility built. That sum was matched by the Common Good Fund, with the remaining £100,000 required coming from a Big Lottery Fund grant.

While the project suffered many ups and downs at the planning stage, it's hoped that the only ups and downs from now on will come from the youngsters using the park.

Skate park committee chair Kitty Ritchie said: "The opening was a great success and it was a special atmosphere, really amazing.

"I'm delighted to see it open and delighted to see so many people involved.

"It was also great to see so many parents there as well. Maybe we'll have to think about installing benches.

"There were even people there in their 70s saying it was fantastic that there was something for the youth in Montrose."

The committee had a surprise for the youngsters who contributed their time and effort to the project, awarding them with £1,000 worth of helmets, gloves, knee and elbow pads to encourage them to be as safe as possible when using the park.

A spokesperson for the committee said: "We are very grateful for all the support we received from the community, especially the police and Angus Council officials. We were heartened by the perseverance and support of the young people of Montrose who are a credit to the town.

"Montrose YM helped us so much in the past, even coming to the rescue by acquiring a generator through Esk Plumbing Services for the bands who played at the opening day.

"There are two people who deserve special thanks, Liz Addison a founder member, and Pete Cowan, an almost founder member. Their perseverance, support and friendship enabled us to work as a team to deal with all the trials that arose throughout the nine years.

"The wheeled sports facility was designed by Steve Finlater and Pete Cowan to the highest standard and we are very grateful for all their work."