The town’s proposed skate park development has been given a big boost after a large sporting organisation expressed interest in jumping on board.

Outline planning permission for the 1.5-acre site behind Halfords in Mill Way – dubbed The Paper Mill – was granted back in April.

Since then the park fundraising group has raised £87,000 of the £400,000 needed.

Members of the team bagged up second-hand clothes, shoes and handbags last year to be recycled for cash by online firm Return to Earn and this summer they secured £10,000 from housing association AmicusHorizon.

The help of this multinational company – whose name is being kept under wraps until the sponsorship is finalised – would boost the project significantly.

Project manager Dave Green says he hoped that if the company did choose to support the plan, it would only be a matter of time before it is built.

He said: “We’ve got 1,500 likes on Facebook – people are starting to notice it but it’s just taking time. It’s going to be a place where children can go and socialise.

“If people go shopping up near the High Street they won’t have skateboarders and BMX-ers surrounding them because they will be at the skate park.”

The group has also launched a new website – www.sittingbourneskate.co.uk – where people can donate to the project via PayPal and keep up with its progress.