A UNIQUE PIECE of art could create a leisure facility for all ages in the heart of the Eden Valley, reports Karen Morley.

From an appeal by local teenagers for a skate park seven years ago, a plan to create the world's first outdoor sculpture that can double as an amphitheatre, play area, and centre for extreme sports, has been unveiled in Kirkby Stephen.

Artist Steve Messam, who owns the Fold gallery in the town and is behind Cumbria's now internationally acclaimed FRED art event, has been working with a wide range of people in Kirkby Stephen to create the usable art form, which has been inspired by the Eden Valley landscape.

At an exclusive presentation of the groundbreaking proposal at the FOLD gallery, Kirkby Stephen Extreme Sports Association hosted a display of the planned Kirkby Stephen Skateable Sculpture.

Steve said: "Last year I went to visit the world's largest skate park in Shanghai, China. It had been designed by top skate park designers SMP, from Australia. The forms and shapes I saw used there were the same forms as we see in our landscape here.

"I wanted to create an art form sculpture that is sympathetic with the landscape, and Stenskrith Park has been an inspiration. At this place the River Eden is at a point where hard and soft stone come together and the harder material has warn away bowl shapes that are exactly the same as the shapes skaters use.

"Local skaters were involved in workshops 18 months ago, where they created clay models of the shapes they wanted to skate - they are exactly the same as what we find in the landscape here. It is natural mathematics that has created these shapes. As well as a place for leisure, the Skateable Sculpture can bring science and maths in an exciting way to young people.

"Faradays' Law and Chaos Theory are at the heart of the design. And Faraday has a local connection, as his parents were the local blacksmiths in Kirkby Stephen before they left for London and their son was born.

"The plan is to use local stone and eco friendly construction. The design incorporates nine balls of clear acrylic red which when they catch the light at certain times of the year will cast the exact shadow of Nine Standards, the famous local landmark.

"The main bowl will create a natural amphitheatre that would be ideal for concerts and theatrical productions. It would be an asset for the town which everyone can use, and we are looking for feedback to find design solutions and develop the design."

The idea for a skate park came about seven years ago, when a group of young people approached teacher Jane Morgan at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School Sports College to ask if they could have such a facility in the town.

Jane said: "I've waited seven long years to see the project get to this stage and I could never have imagined how amazing and beautiful the design would be.

"The feedback from people in the community has been so positive and I am sure it will attract people from all over the world, not just to skateboard, rollerblade or mountain bike, but to enjoy the sculpture itself."

The committee, behind the project are now seeking funding for the Skateable Sculpture, which could be constructed in six-to-eight weeks on land next to the mountain rescue centre in Kirkby Stephen.

Details of the project's development are available at www.foldgallery.co.uk .