Work has started to construct a £250,000 Olympics-inspired skate park.

Skaters have long called for the facilities at St Mary's Rec in Swanley to be upgraded, with uneven surfaces and rusty ramps preventing most from making full use of the park.

Hundreds signed an online petition but it was only after businessman and former BBC Apprentice contestant JD O'Brien, from East Peckham, near Tonbridge, got involved that things got rolling.

Prior to the pandemic, the dad-of-three set up Concrete Wave, a community interest company, with a view to overhauling the park.

JD started a grassroots crowdfunder campaign to source funds to deliver a new mini ramp.

In October last year, he secured £150,000 in National Lottery funding, with the remaining funds coming from several sources including Swanley Town Council, which has backed the scheme.

Work is now underway to construct the park which when complete will include a beginners' mini ramp for less experienced riders.

It will also host regular competitions, a "female-only" skating day and include facilities for wheelchair users.

Speaking to KentOnline, JD said he hopes a wide range of people get to enjoy this new facility and it can play host to a range of events next Spring/Summer.

It's understood the new park will open by the end of the year, subject to building progress.

"The tricky thing is the timing and I'm trying to nail this down at the moment," explained the entrepreneur.

"I would love to have it done by Christmas. I want to do something cool around the opening and something for the locals to get involved."

JD also believes the skate park can spark the wider regeneration of the Rec and surrounding area, which is among the most deprived in the Sevenoaks district.

There are further plans to install a cafe, upgrade basketball and tennis courts and also introduce cycle and running tracks.

In June it was revealed more than £20,000 had been spent by Maidstone council dismantling a skate park after it was deemed "unsafe".

But JD believes there is a lot of misconceptions around skate parks and he believes they are a force for good and help foster stronger community ties.

The dad-of-three said his passion for the Swanley project stemmed from young users of the park like nine-year-old Colin Milek, who despite being born with a missing forearm has gone on to learn tricks, litterpick and make news friends.

Another crucial component to JD's plans is to run skate workshops on site where children and teens can learn how to make boards and get involved with volunteering.

With the cost of living crisis he believes it's never been more important to have places where youngsters can enjoy social activities for free or at low cost.

The former Apprentice star's efforts come after Skateboard GB's success at last summer's Tokyo Olympics.

The sport made its debut at the games in Japan and has seen a huge surge in appeal among youngsters.

Speaking previously, Brent Lewis, chief executive of FAR Skate Foundation, based in Whitstable, said sales for boards have gone up 650% since lockdown, buoyed by the Olympics.

The director of Skateboarding GB said: "Since the Olympics with Sky Brown doing really well and Bombette [Martin] doing really, we've had for us personally at our foundation about 100 extra people a week wanting to take up skateboarding.

"So we've got about 400 people a week we teach skateboarding. So it's gone up loads and they've been really inspired by skateboarding."