SKATERS will show off their skills directly in front of Great Malvern Priory next weekend, to the dismay of at least two of the parishioners.

A portable skate ramp will be set up in the church grounds during a district council-run community safety day at the nearby Lyttelton Rooms on Saturday, January 21.

One church-goer who has expressed concern is Beryl Pardoe, of Malvern Wells, who believes skateboarding will cause disruption for those wanting to enjoy the peace and quiet.

"The Priory grounds are a haven of rest from the traffic in Church Street and a place where shoppers can sit and relax," she said. "This will be destroyed by the noise of the skateboarders."

Another concerned church-goer is Angela Highmore, of Court Gardens, Malvern.

"We understand in a way, because the council looks after the grounds, but there's a perfectly good skatepark at Victoria Park," she said.

"It's a surprising choice, especially as a lot of young people tend to skate nearby in the Winter Gardens."

But Malvern skater Craig Haynes hopes the event will help give the sport a more favourable image.

"It's a good opportunity to get the word out that we're not all bad," he said. "We're just out to do a sport, not to go out and harass people."

Ian and Fiona Budd, who run Chilled in Graham Road, which sells skateboarding and surfing clothing, are keen for skateboarders to promote themselves to the public.

"We're going to ask our sons and their friends to go along and skate and talk to the people watching," said Mr Budd. "To be accepted as a part of society they have to show the community what it is they do."

Both the church and Malvern Hills District Council stand by the choice of location.

The Rev. John Barr said the one-off event would be well stewarded and not cause any problems.

"Given the importance of the event in the Lyttelton Rooms, the church seemed the obvious place for the ramp," he said.

"This is the sort of thing that churches care about in terms of supporting and encouraging young people."

MHDC community liaison officer Alex Kears said the ramp would not cause any problems.

"I think it'll be a wonderful event and we'd like to see as many people there as possible," he said.