HUNDREDS of youngsters came out in force over the weekend for an event which saw a mobile ice-skating rink take centre stage in Trowbridge Park.

About 500 young people took full advantage of the free two-day event which was organised by Sarah Holland, the community youth officer for Trowbridge, after she visited schools and community groups to find out what teenagers wanted.

“For a first time event in Trowbridge at this time of the year, I think it went amazingly well and there are a lot of parents who came with younger children and they thought it was a great idea,” she said.

“As popular as it was, I think the event highlighted that there needs to be a place for young people that they can call their own, especially for 13 to 15-year-olds, as that age range came out the most.

“We decided to open at 2pm on the Saturday as we started having a queue outside before we opened and that worked well too.”

The event was free to all young people aged 13-19 and included activities such as a rodeo bull, a disco dome and other games including a high striker and seal hooper.

Ms Holland approached Trowbridge Local Youth Network for funding which she hopes will continue for years to come following the event’s first-time success.

She said: “I think like any event, the first time you get people who didn’t find out about it but, moving forward, I know the shops to go into, like the sweet shop in the park, as they get a lot of young people there.

“Their desires, wants and needs were met and answered by the LYN to provide funding for the event and it showed the young people there is an opportunity to get things they want.

“We had a lot of younger children as well as older children, who obviously had to pay, but they were quite happy to because once you got in and had a stamp, you were allowed in and out throughout the whole day.

“I hope to do something again next year but it depends on funding.”

Leisure services manager Hayley Bell, who provided the disco dome which is available for hire, said: “The event provided a great opportunity for young people to experience new activities.”