For 800 years Malmesbury Abbey has been a holy site for worshippers to make their pilgrimage for religious silence.

But the sound of skateboards will soon echo throughout the ancient monument when it is turned into a skate park.

Church elders including the Bishop of Bristol are supporting the idea to clear the pews from Malmesbury Abbey and replace them with skate ramps.

The abbey will be turned into an indoor skatepark for three days in February along with a cafe and live music stage.

The stone floor will be covered with wooden ramps while the huge pillars will be shrouded in padding to protect them.

The present Malmesbury Abbey was built in 1180 and is the third on the site since the seventh century.

It is the site of the tomb of the first King of England, and during medieval times it housed a seat of learning on a par with Oxford and Canterbury.

Abbey vicar Reverend Neil Archer said the ambitious plan with Christian Skaters UK was aimed at attracting teenagers into Church.

"Malmesbury Abbey is committed to young people and has employed a full-time youth worker for over six years, so running a youth event for a few days in February is nothing out of the ordinary," he said.

"The youth cafe, 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.

"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.

"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 event, from February 18 next year, will include beginner's workshops, classes for girls only, competitions and demonstrations by experts.

There will also be talks on relationships and career ambitions.

The two layers of timber flooring is being delivered for free by Glory Road Ministries, a network of Christian truckers across the UK.

Permission for the skatepark has been given by the Bishop of Bristol, the diocese and the parochial church council.

Phil Williams, from Christian Skaters UK group, 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."