Bristol dad on ITV's People's Millions for son's memory

A father from Bristol is appealing for the public's support to help him win up to £50,000 to build a skate park in memory of his son.

Thirteen-year-old Jamie Clapp died in July 2007 when the small plane in which he was a passenger crashed into a field and burst into flames.

Since then his father Gordon, from Mangotsfield, has been trying to raise the £50,000 needed for a permanent memorial to his son at a skate park near the Sainsbury's car park in Emersons Green, one of Jamie's favourite places to skateboard.

Next month, Mr Clapp and the Emersons Green Youth Group Memorial Park project will be up against Snuff Mills Action Group's Snuff Mills Restoration Project in the ITV West People's Millions competition.

The two community projects will be competing for an award of up to £50,000 and need public votes to win.

Mr Clapp has tirelessly fundraised for the new skate park since Jamie's death, organising car boot sales, talent shows and auctions.

He said that winning £50,000 from the competition would be "the best possible memorial to Jamie", and would allow him then to raise the £4,000 he still needs to erect a headstone at his son's grave.

"This is his dream, all of his friends' dream and my dream," said Mr Clapp, 66. "I'm finding it harder and harder to raise all the money so this competition has come along at just the right time.

"Jamie was a very keen skateboarder. Just before he died he told me that Emersons Green needed a new skate park. Raising the money has really kept me going since Jamie died and to achieve what his friends and I have set out to achieve would be so great.

"I shall campaign, I shall go door to door, I shall do whatever I can to win this money."

The improvements to the park have been identified and designed by young people themselves and focus around installing concrete facilities used in popular urban sports such as BMX riding, rollerskating and skateboarding.

Six groups in the ITV West region will be competing to win a share of £200,000 Big Lottery Fund good cause money in The People's Millions TV contest.

The six will make their case for the public's vote on ITV West's regional news programme from November 23, with the winners being decided in a phone vote.

At the end of the week four projects will have won a slice of £200,000. The winner will be announced on November 26.

● See tomorrow's Bristol Evening Post to find out how Snuff Mills Action Group's Snuff Mills Restoration Project would spend their £50,000.