EXUBERANT young skateboarders will be practising their kick flips and ollies where parishioners normally bow their heads in solemn prayer in February, when Malmesbury Abbey is turned into a temporary indoor skate park.

The scheme, which has the backing of the diocese, will involve the abbey floor being covered by layers of timber, while the pillars will be given a protective coat of padding during the two-day event in the school holidays.

Vicar, Rev Neill Archer, explained: "The abbey is committed to young people and has employed a full-time youth worker for over 6 years, so running a youth event for two wet days in February is nothing out of the ordinary.

"The youth café, the live bands and the loud music, the talks on life issues won’t raise an eyebrow. But working with Christian Skaters UK is new and perhaps will be hard for some people to conceive," he said.

"However I think it will be a great experience for the local skating and rollerblading community and parents will probably be pleased that their kids are hanging around in church during half term."

He added: "From my perspective the bottom line is that God loves young people and anything we can do that nudges our young people to realise that they are a valued and respected part of our community is helpful. I’m glad the Abbey is flexible enough to accommodate this – I wish the monks were around to see it."

The programme, from February 18 to 20 includes beginners workshops, classes for girls, competitions and demonstrations. It will involve short talks about typical teenage issues such as relationships, making good choices and having a goal in life.

Phil Williams from Christians Skaters UK said: "Malmesbury Abbey is an amazing venue and we’ll be bringing volunteers from across the UK to help out.

"We hope local skaters and their friends will get involved and we hope it makes a positive difference to young people’s lives."