BUCKLE up your helmets, strap on your knee pads and get ready for action because the Urban Rider Games is back and better than ever.

The organisers of Swindon’s premier extreme sports event have announced the return of the competition for the third year running.

It will take place at the ATBShop skate warehouse on the Hawksmoor Trading Estate on Good Friday, which this year is on April 14.

Last year’s event was a big hit, with young people travelling from all over the region and as far afield as Wales and Scotland to see what the competitors had to offer.

And this year the ATB team are determined to continue right where they left off.

Di Kirk, co-owner of the shop and skatepark, said: “We’re here again, it has gone so quickly.

“We’re really looking forward to it, we’ve introduced some new categories, we’re lining up some great sponsors and some big prizes.

“We’ve got the world number one scooter rider Jordan Clark coming down to the skatepark on the day too which is really exciting.

“Some of the kids have been in already practicing — it’s going to be a fierce competition.”

This year’s Urban Rider Games will see the return of girls-only scooter category, introduced for the first time ever in the UK at last year’s event.

“We’re going to have the girls category again,” said Di, herself a former mountain boarding competitor.

“They were really inspired last year and it was so popular, urban sports are dominated by males as it is, so it’s nice for the girls to have those opportunities.”

Apart from the fantastic atmosphere and quality of tricks on offer, a big draw for the Urban Rider Games is always the range of prizes on offer.

In 2015, some of the top brands in extreme sports provided a selection of skateboard decks, scooter decks, trainers, clothing and accessories worth £2,000.

Last year that figure rose again and with the help of some generous industry partners the ATB team hope that this year the prize pot could pass £3,000.

But beyond the fun of the ramps and the rails on the day, there is a more serious message behind the games.

They were launched as a way to showcase the talents of the young people in Swindon who mostly use the free skate parks to harness their skills.

But those parks are not always maintained, with the Oasis skatepark — once thought to be at risk of disappearing altogether — looking particularly tired and uninviting.

The ATB team have never been bothered by the fact that these free spaces might draw away business from their own paid entry skatepark.

Instead they see them as essential places for youngsters to spend productive, safe and enjoyable time.

In previous years, the Urban Rider Games has been visited by local MP Justin Tomlinson. This year organisers are calling on other local politicians to come down, see how much talent is on show, and make the upkeep of the places needed to build on that talent a priority.