I am a passionate skateboarder and one of my favourite places to skate is the Sutton Skatepark. Unfortunately, as the days become shorter during winter, it becomes nearly impossible to skate after school due to the lack of lighting. This dire situation forces me to travel all the way to Clapham Common, just to pursue my hobby, which is not only time-consuming, but also harmful to the environment due to the increased travel associated with driving that distance increasing my carbon footprint.

Collingwood Skatepark is a popular park, attracting skateboarders and scooter riders from all around. Despite its popularity, the park's usability is severely limited during the shorter days of winter and autumn where sunset is as early as 4:30. The early sunset means that by the time most people are free to skate, it is already too dark to enjoy the park at all. 

By installing proper lighting at the skatepark, we can extend the park's accessibility to much later hours, allowing more people in the community of all ages to enjoy skating, and encouraging a healthier and more active lifestyle. This small addition would not only support locals in pursuing their hobbies safely but also create a stronger sense of community and reduce the need for long, environmentally unfriendly journeys to more distant parks especially when collingwood is an entirely viable space.

Lighting public spaces like skateparks has proven benefits-increased safety, increased demographic and extended usage times.This small improvement can even deter vandalism making the area safer for everyone in the area.

We hope that the Sutton Council urgently consider and approve the installation of lights. Let's make our local skatepark a year-round destination for everyone in Sutton. Please join me in signing this petition to bring much-needed improvement to Collingwood Skatepark and help our community!