A BLUE plaque has been put in place at a newly repaired skate park in honour of a "much loved" BMX rider from the area.

The blue commemorative plaque has gone up at Malton skate park to pay tribute Tom Warrington, from the area, who sadly passed away in 2008.

Ryan Swain, a keen skateboarder from the area, requested that the blue plaque was put up in Tom's memory.

Ryan said: "After a lot of organising and planning, I have taken the liberty to get this very special blue commemorative plaque in memory of someone myself and many others loved greatly at the skatepark and was the soul of it for many years.

"Since his death in 2008, many of us have always said or tried to get some sort of commemorative piece for him at the skatepark as he truly loved it down there and met so many amazing people at the facility.

"Tom was one of the finest BMX talents to come out of Malton. But above all he was one of the most charming, fun loving, kind-hearted and generous spirits many of us have ever known."

Work on the skate park started at the end of March, following a successful campaign from keen skateboarders in the local area.

Ryan said that now was the perfect time to put the plaque in place as the work had started on the "rebirth and rejuvenation" of the site.

"Now, a little piece of him will always be flying over us down there, whether you are a user or just simply passing by," Ryan added.

The campaign, which has been on going for over a year, originally started and spearheaded by Ryan, is now underway in Malton. Ryan, a presenter from the town, started the '#RescueTheRamp' campaign to help keep the popular skate park active in the area.

Being a keen skateboarder himself, Ryan wanted to help the local community by repairing and resurfacing the park in the town so it can continue to be used.

The work started on site in late March with King Ramps, owned by pro skater Pete King, taking the lead on the work. But, Ryan has also been on hand helping out with the repairs.

The restoration of the halfpipe at the site is set the be voted on at a later date. It was at risk of being torn down as to the council needed to secure funds for its maintenance, with councillors describing it as a "financial liability".

But, Ryan Swain's campaign caught the eye of renowned professional Tony Hawk and persuaded councillors to keep it open last year.

The ramp, which opened 21 years ago, is thought to be the country's largest.