PROGRESS is being made on the County Gazette's Action Sports Appeal.

The plan is to bring a world class action park to Taunton, for use by skateboarders, freestyle BMX riders and in-line skaters.

Fundraisers from the Community Skatepark Project (Taunton) have leapt over the first hurdle in a bid for up to £500,000 from Sport England.

The cash could completely fund the cost of building the park, which already has £25,000 and a promise of land from Taunton Deane Council.

The site of the park has yet to be decided but a couple of areas within the county town are under consideration.

Senior fund-raiser Guy Hague told the County Gazette the action sports park had sailed through the first stage of the Sport England bid by hitting many of the targets the funding body is aimed at.

"Stage one is basically an online questionnaire where they are looking at a range of issues and if you tick the right amount of boxes you progress," he said.

Points in the project's favour include the facts that it will encourage people of all ages to take up new sports or improve their existing skills, provide facilities that don't exist in this area and achieve a number of social benefits.

The next batch of information will need to be much more detailed and include evidence of support from the community.

Next week's County Gazette will include a petition form to give you the opportunity to show your support for this exciting initiative -- together we can make this dream a reality. In the meantime, plans are being formulated for a sponsored 'Wheelathon' in aid of the Action Sports Appeal.

We are looking for schools and other community groups to get involved with the event.

At this stage no date has been set, but if you would like to register your interest now, please write to: Action Sports Appeal, Somerset County Gazette, 44 St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JR.