DISRESPECTFUL skateboarders have damaged the war memorial in Christchurch Park by grinding their boards on the stone steps.And the damage has become so bad that Ipswich Borough Council has been forced to put up a sign asking people to refrain from using the cenotaph as a play area.
DISRESPECTFUL skateboarders have damaged the war memorial in Christchurch Park by grinding their boards on the stone steps.
And the damage has become so bad that Ipswich Borough Council has been forced to put up a sign asking people to refrain from using the cenotaph as a play area.
The notice comes more than a year after a £170,000 skateboard park was opened in Grafton Way and Peter Thompson, secretary of the Ipswich Royal British Legion believes that skaters should use that instead.
He said: "Ipswich Borough Council spent a lot of money on the skatepark, people should skate there.
"Skating on the memorial is terrible – people should have more common sense, it's like going over someone's grave.
"The steps are marked quite badly, skating is one of the worst things to do on stone steps."
The council erected the sign after an appeal from the Ipswich Royal British Legion to protect the site.
Max Stocker, spokesman the council said: "We were happy to comply as this is a very important issue.
"There is a skatepark elsewhere in town with all the facilities available and any cenotaph or war memorial is not the place for skating.
"We want people to treat it with respect."
The sign is there to remind people of the sacrifice made by the people of Ipswich during the war.
It reads: "It (the memorial) was erected to commemorate those men from Ipswich killed while serving their country in World War I and World War II.
Please respect their memory."
Although the skating has declined since the sign was put up, Mr Thompson feels that the site needs better protection.
He added: "The council did respond fairly quickly to an appeal for a notice and since it went up skating has declined but the area is so open, that's the problem. It needs a fence or hedge with gates to the monument."
n. What do you think about skateboarders using the memorial as a play area?
Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or email eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.
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