I was only ten years old when I first rocked up to Dunfermline skatepark wearing a purple bicycle helmet and holding a Toys R Us board.

I’d spent the last week hopelessly trying to learn tricks in my garden after coming across skate videos on YouTube. Back then nobody from my school skated, and I didn’t know if anybody did in the whole town.

As it turns out, they did. I met a group of lads who were a few years older than me, and I probably did their heads in asking questions. They took me under their wing right away, and I spent the next couple of years trying to be like my older pals.

Skating opened a whole new world to me socially, and I’ve learned valuable lessons that are relevant to everyday life.

It taught me how to persevere with a challenge, and how rewarding it can be when it pays off. It taught me how to fall and get up to try again, and how to learn independently. I don’t have a clue what I’d do if I didn’t have skating because it’s been such an integral part of my life for the past 16 years.

Dunfermline Park was never the best, but people always travelled to it because it was the only one in the area.

Since I started, skateparks have sprung up all over Fife, with state-of-the-art facilities in nearby towns such as Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, and Ballingry. Meanwhile, Dunfermline Park has deteriorated to the point that it’s a danger to anybody who uses it.

Those who can travel to other parks don’t tend to use Dunfermline unless there’s an event on, meaning that the local scene is spread out and lacks a central hub.

(Image: Gregor Fell)

I’m glad that there’s more skateparks in Fife now, but it saddens me that kids in Dunfermline don’t have the same experience as I did starting out.

That’s why I’m so motivated to get this project over the line. People have been talking about a new park since I’ve been going to the current one, but now that we’ve secured the bulk of the funding it feels real for the first time.

I couldn’t be happier with the design and the fact it’s been well received by the focus group. I’ve got my own ideas about what makes a good park, but in meetings I remind myself that I’m representing the wishes of all users, so it’s amazing to have a consensus.

Fiona from the Dunfermline Regeneration Trust might not be a skater, but she embodies the spirit of perseverance that we have in our community. She’s fought through every setback and been instrumental in getting this to the point we’re at now.

Skaters have made a real effort to hold fundraising events, give free lessons to local kids, and much more. Although the big goal is to have a great new park, I think we’ve achieved a lot as a community during the journey.