A TEENAGER has started a campaign to rebuild parts of Burnham’s bike tracks.

Ormiston Rivers Academy student Aaron Barthorpe, 15, has teamed up with friends Brad Jennings and Nathaniel Head, and Burnham town councillor Nick Skeens, to form a team of volunteers to redevelop the mud banks near the town’s skate park at Millfields.

The land is owned by Maldon District Council and Aaron hopes to secure some funding.

He said: “The mud banks are used all the time by families, skaters and bike riders during the nice weather, but at the moment they’re quite rocky and worn down, and could be very dangerous for younger and less experienced people using them.

“Families often make use of them in the summer, it’s a really nice area.

“What we need is a dedicated group of volunteers to help us get the project moving and who be willing to help us rebuild it all.

“It will improve the quality of the park so much, and I think it would definitely encourage more people from outside Burnham to come and visit.”

Aaron and his friends came up with the idea when talking on their WhatsApp group, and started sharing their ideas on various forums on social media.

This caught the attention of Nick Skeens, who was due to raise the project at a Burnham Town Council meeting yesterday.

Aaron hopes to raise a band of 50 volunteers for the project.

Since sending out the appeal, they already have 27 people interested.

He added: “The area is really great for the town and I hope we can get lots of people behind it and encourage the district council to help us.”

Richard Holmes, director of community services at Maldon District Council, said “We work closely with a number of community and voluntary organisations.

"The countryside and coast team would welcome hearing from a group wanting to make safe and sustainable improvements to the BMX track in the council owned Riverside Park.”