Young BMX enthusiasts living in a village on the outskirts of Oxford want their parish council to build a skate park.

Four friends from Kennington lobbied parish councillors about the idea at a special meeting in the village hall.

Adam Gustafson, 11, Macauley Gibbs, 11, Tom Barron, 11, and Loui Harris, 13, who all attend Matthew Arnold School in Cumnor, said facilities for skateboarding and BMX bikes were just what the village needed.

Adam, of Poplar Grove, said: “Kennington is a perfect village — the only thing that’s missing is a skate park.

“At the moment there’s football and cricket, but I’m not really into football or cricket.

“We asked parish councillors to build a skate park and they said ‘show us what you want and we’ll see what we can do’.

“All we can do is ask.”

His father Denis, 41, the caretaker at St Swithun’s Primary School in the village, said he thought it was brilliant the children were getting involved.

He said: “Adam’s loved biking forever. He loves motocross as well.

“If he plays up, the first thing to go are the bikes. They go into the garage for a week — it’s the worst thing in the world.

“The bikes are great. The boys get fresh air and exercise and they all wear helmets.

“I think the kids have done really well to be grown up and ask for something from the parish council.”

Mr Gustafson said land at Playfield Road, Forest Side and off the cycle track near the railway bridge might be suitable.

He said: “There’s a lot of open space by the bridge, but I think Playfield Road would be best.

“There’s space at the back of the football pitch, a big strip of land that’s overgrown.”

Skaters in Kennington currently use facilities in Radley, but Adam said: “It’s dangerous cycling along the main road.”

Parish clerk Pam Johnston said the parish council welcomed input from youngsters in the village.

She said: “They were lovely lads. The trouble is that we have very limited land.

“It’s early days, but a skate park is something we might be able to include in future plans for the village.”

The parish council is currently searching for contractors to design and oversee the installation of new play equipment at Playfield Road.

Councillors have put aside £10,000 for the project.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk