Rebecca Davies, 15, from Connah's Quay, has taken part in a number of amateur competitions and is believed to be the only female in the UK who is a 'vert ramp' skateboarder.

The height of a vert ramp is 13.5 to 14 feet, with a two foot vertical wall on the top.

Last year, Rebecca competed against boys in the UK and was ranked fifth.

She has travelled to Germany and Canada to compete in World Cup events, and two years ago she was ranked seventh in the world and was also the UK girls mini-ramp champion for two years running.

Rebecca has been skating since she was nine, following in the footsteps of her father Malcolm, who was a keen skateboarder in the 1970s.

But the Connah's Quay High School pupil is now finding it difficult to enter competitions because she is busy studying for her GCSE exams and the rising cost of fuel means it is proving too expensive for her to practice her skills.

Malcolm, 44, said: "There are many things that have contributed but there is the fact that she can't train as much as she wants to.

"The main apparatus she needs to use is a vert ramp.

"The nearest one is in Blackpool and with the cost of fuel going up, it's so expensive.

"When Rebecca is competing, she needs to train two to three times a week.

"You're talking about a 160 mile journey and seven hours out of your day, for three hours on the ramp with a cost of about £70 to £90 a week to train – we just can't afford to do that."

Rebecca still loves to skate whenever she can and uses the Wepre Park skatepark.

She said her friends think it is great, and added: "I've had lots of support from school.

"My friends think it's really cool and since Wepre's been open, they've been coming down and having a look.

"I get a buzz from skateboarding, it keeps me happy and motivated."

Rebecca says she would love to skate on a professional level, adding: "We have seen a demonstrations team who perform in Britain and around the world - I would like to do that."

Due to his experience of visiting various ramps around the world with Rebecca, Malcolm was a key player in choosing the design of the skate park in Connah's Quay.