HUNDREDS of people from across the South West descended on Tavistock recently to join members of the Tavi Riders and Tavistock Youth Café in celebrating the much anticipated official opening of the town's BMX trails.

Around 300 people from Okehampton, Liskeard, Exeter, Exmouth and as far away as Truro, as well as many other places, flocked to the Tavi Trails, at the former putting green in the Meadows, for the 'Opening Jam' where riders could take part in a number of competitions and enjoy live music and a barbecue.

Youth bands Full Flavour Function, Archbishops of Tavistock, Josh Markwell and DJ John Harley entertained the crowds who weren't taking part in the various dirt jump competitions, including pump track challenge, highest air, long jump and various age category competitions.

It has taken three years of hard graft from members of the BMX group Tavi Riders with a lot of support from the youth café — a voluntary organisation for young people — to see the project grow from an idea to celebrating the opening.

The management committee for the trails, Byron Jackson (Boris), Darren Guppy (Guppy), Jacob Gibbins (Millkie), Joe Sampson-Hill and Chris Hull (Afghan) worked hard to apply for funding and give presentations to the town council to secure the land, which is now on a nine-year lease to the youth café, to provide a safe location for BMX riders.

Vicki Lloyd of Tavistock Youth Café said: 'We had loads of people there, people with bikes, parents, grandparents, members of the Woodland Riders and mountain bikers.

'Steve Wilson from Lifer BMX had a stall offering repairs throughout the day and the barbecue was run by staff and volunteers of the Devon Youth Service. Leader of the West Devon divisional team of the youth service Pippa St John-Cooper helped out on the day and gave a speech, and there were a lot of Youth Café volunteers and lots of young people helping out throughout the day.

'It's good to have the trails officially open now and we were lucky to have dry weather. Everybody enjoyed themselves and we had a lot of positive responses — there were people lined up along the canal and along Plymouth Road watching.'

A £1 donation was requested from visitors to help fund the cost of the Public Liability Insurance, which ensures the trails can be used by the public for free.