Back in February 2019, I attended a really exciting Open Meeting at Clevedon Council House, called by the Trustees of the Clevedon Skate Project, notably Petra Mansour – Moffatt, Paul Redford, Tom Knott, Neil James and Paula Heath. I say exciting because they painted such a clear picture of their plans for an inter-generational, multi-use area on the site of the town’s current, old and outdated skatepark by the Salthouse Field.
Their original idea was to redevelop the current skatepark which is now over seventeen years old and reaching the end of its life. However, when they looked more closely at the area, they realised that there was also room for a competition standard pump track on the grassy area that was in between the skate park, the MUGA (multi-use games area) and the tennis courts.
The need is real! Check out what the young people say about the current skate park in this video they made with Boomsatsuma and the Curzon Cinema in Clevedon.
Since that meeting the Clevedon Skate Project team have continued raising monies, supporting events and activities that promote skateboarding, cycling and scooting in Clevedon as well as raising awareness as to the benefits that an improved skatepark and new pump track can bring to Clevedon and the surrounding communities.
They are now a registered charity whose clear purpose is to redevelop the existing park, develop a new pump track and engage the local community in all wheeled sport activities (skateboards/scooters/bikes/inline skates etc). The project’s specific goal is to redevelop the land from the skate park to the tennis courts to accommodate the new pump track and replace the existing, out dated ramps with a new purpose-built concrete park.
On December 1st, Clevedon Skate Project launched a public consultation regarding the design and build of both the new skate park and pump track. The consultation is open for one month and, due to Covid restrictions, is entirely digital. Permission has been granted for these developments via North Somerset and Clevedon Councils’, the consultation represents the next step towards gaining funding for the work to commence. To take part in the consultation please visit http://www.clevedonskateproject.com you can also find and follow them on Facebook/Instagram/twitter.
The online survey is open for anyone to take part in, whether they are an experienced rider/skater or parent/carer/grandparent of park users, or maybe just hold an interest in the redevelopment of Clevedon’s sporting facilities. These findings will inform the final designs drawn up by the Clevedon Skate Park Team and the two companies who have been granted the contracts for these builds; both companies with the highest environmental and ethical standards. They are Maverick https://www.maverickskateparks.co.uk and Velosolutions https://velosolutions.com
Maverick are at the pinnacle of British skatepark design and builds, having designed some of the most spectacular skateparks around the UK and beyond. They thrive on designing parks with the local community in mind, producing facilities built to the highest standards that also complement their surroundings. Their grass roots ethos sees them work with local users to develop parks that nurture all abilities promoting transition from beginner to pro.
Velo solutions have built some of the world’s best pump tracks from Asia to America they design pump tracks in consultation with local communities and build pump tracks that can serve the needs of toddlers on balance bikes through to international championships.
Clevedon Skate Project team propose building facilities that not only enhance the area and give greater pride to locals; complimenting the revamped Marine Lake, tennis courts and green spaces, but also drawing in sports tourism from further afield. With trained sports coaches and a community ethos they aim to increase the number and diversity of locals that access and utilise wheeled sports for physical and mental health.
The Clevedon Skate Project aims to provide the town with a brilliant new space which will encourage an active, healthy lifestyle and have an impact on physical, mental, social and emotional health and well being. It offers a vehicle for the development of so many important skills and behaviours such as accountability, empathy, dedication, community engagement, leadership and collaboration. It is one of the most inclusive sports in the world; it dissolves barriers between class, race, age and gender and it isn’t hierarchical – it doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a professional, a child or an adult. And most importantly skateboarding is fun!
Please encourage as many as possible to take part so that the final design really reflects the ideas and opinions of the community. The consultation ends on December 31st at midnight.