TWO quick-witted brothers, tired of watching their local skatepark fall into disrepair, have sparked a fundraising frenzy in Moretonhampstead.

Rohan and Ryan Cox (aged 18 and 15) were shocked to find they had raised more than £500 from a cake sale towards giving the park a much-needed facelift.

Now, their fundraising efforts have raised £1,400 – and the money is still coming in.

Realising their cause had struck a chord with the town, the brothers decided to keep going and now have the full weight of the town’s firemen dedicated to the cause.

Petty acts of arson at the park led to the crew getting involved.

Moretonhampstead fire crew have committed to a gruelling triathlon fundraiser for the boys.

Firefighters at the station are in the final week of completing 50km each, for four weeks during May, across three disciplines – run/row/cycle – on gym equipment .

Cash raised by the crew will be split between the skatepark and the Fire Fighters’ Charity.

Rohan Cox who started the fundraising page was saddened by the park’s gradual decline.

He said: ‘It just got more and more run-down. There were occasional fires and small acts of vandalism.

‘We knew we should do something about it. However, now that the fundraising total is already sitting on a cool £1,400, the brothers have agreed it may be time to ‘think bigger.’

Mum Carla is ‘extremely proud’ of her boys who ‘instigated this whole thing’.

The brothers hope enough money can be raised to add a BMX track or other additions to breathe life back into the park.

For the town’s fire crew it was also important to support a charity close to their hearts.

Fireman Liam Biddulph (CORRECT) has used the services of the Fire Fighters’ Charity in the past, after a long struggle with chronic back pain that resulted in extensive spinal surgery, the recovery from which was aided by the charity.

Now he wants to give back, and felt compelled to help the skatepark too.

Liam added: ‘We also chose the skatepark because there were some minor incidents of arson and vandalism and a couple of the kids decided to take some ownership of running it. We wanted to help support them in raising money for renovation and to raise awareness of the dangers and safety implications of arson within the community.’

To support the brothers and/or the fire crews charity efforts, please visit: Justgiving.co.uk and search for: ‘Moretonhampstead.’