Skatepark set to be one of biggest in UK
Friday 21st October 2011, 2:29PM BST.
A NEW skatepark at Beau Sejour will be the biggest built in Britain for about a decade – when enough money has been raised to get it started.
The Guernsey Extreme Sports Association, backed by the Guernsey Press ‘Get on Board’ campaign, has been trying to raise just over £200,000 start the project. £140,000 has been raised so far.
GXSA member Alex Cross, 23, said the £200,000 figure would enable the designers and contractor, Gravity Skate Parks, to come over.
‘They will be able to start work and we will be able to start paying for it,’ Mr Cross (pictured) said. ‘We will use local guys when we can, but the building is very specialist.
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With the recent buyout of channel television and the fact this will be one of the largest skate parks to be built in some time I would have thought the media company would be interested in sponsoring the park for favourable advertising and coverage rights. I would assume it will be an attraction that could possibly be frequented by world class skaters and BMXers. It could prove to be a boost for tourism if hundreds of competitors swamp a well organised events each year. Have they been approached by anybody yet? Maybe legal practices may wish to sponsor the ramps in return for agreed advertising?
Those two ideas could raise the 60K needed with the right proposal on the table.
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Lets get real!….its Guernsey….
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Good to see the gp knows its history
Biggest in the uk
Rule Britannia
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I hope this is a great success,they have work hard for so many years to bring this together .
I also hope it will have CCTV ,that way if anyone does nay damage it will show who has done it .
Good luck to all ,I look forwards to seeing the world championship here in our islands.
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Temp expat
You should see how big some of these events are in other parts of the world. Red Bull sponsor the majority of the major competitions on the calendar. If Guernsey is building an all new amazing park the word will soon spread throughout the sport.
There is money to be made and a deal to be struck. Maybe Deputy Mike O’Hara will discuss proposals with those that might be interested in the commercial side of things?
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I’m thrilled that we’re at the stage we are now, this actually will be one of the latest parks built in the UK in the last 10 years, fact.
It is true that the park will bring people to the island, there are parks smaller than this in the UK that have been visited by professional skate teams, and i honestly can see people coming to Guernsey just to skate these bowls.
Anybody who says the park is a waste of time and/or money, needs to understand that there are tons of local youngsters (and “young” adults) who take part in these sports – Skateboarding, BMX, Inline, and of course this years Scooter craze. These youngsters have gone largely ignored for as long as i can remember, and it is a real shame that the funds for this have had to be raised Entirely without states funding.
I would urge anybody with questions, queries, or even concerns about the park to contact me direct or via the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/280662925673/
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Alexander Cross
Just for your information, Guernsey is NOT part of the United Kingdom or Great Britain.
Deputy Dave Jones
Member of the External Relations Group.
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@Alexander Cross
Good post, well done.
I congratulate all the people and, service communities, who have been involved in this great iniative.
Can you tell us, if there are, about plans and opportunities for blind, deaf and those who have learning difficulies, to get together and join in too?
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Stiletto
I don’t think the blind would be overly suited to skateboarding or BMXing. It is there for anybody to turn up at I would have thought.
Maybe you could design a Braille bowl with ramps especially for them?
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I think that this is a great initiative and I hope that they get all the funding that is needed to create a really challenging skate park. I say ‘challenging’ because if it is not, I think that many of the skateboarders will get bored once they can accomplish the various rides and tricks and then they will be looking for something more exciting outside of the park as they do now.
I don’t know much about the sport but can totally appreciate the skill that is achieved from hours and hours of practice, which must feel so exhilarating to the rider. There must be plenty of value for the whole community in encouraging youngsters to experience that buzz without resorting to anti-social behaviour brought on from boredom.
So I hope that at least one element of the park is sufficiently challenging so as to be only achievable by the very best…… that way there will always be something bigger to aim for, for the majority.
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@ Dave Jones,
Though we are not officially part of the UK our passports say we are part of the British Islands.
Are you trying to discourage or encourage people to come to Guernsey?
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@Dave
Thanks for that… Although we might not be part of the UK, Great Britain, or the EU i think it’s fair to say we do have inseparable ties with all 3. Being that we are, officially, a British crown dependency and have the right to travel throughout the UK that our European brethren do not. With the greatest of respect, it’s something of a non-issue in this context is it not?
@Rosie
Thank you for your input, i can assure you that the facilities will be incredible value for money, and that they will be the best Guernsey has ever had. The cramped, slippery, and frankly dangerous facilities at Delancey park are still used by plenty of young athletes whenever they are dry enough to be ridable – even those who have been using them since they were first put in. When dry, even those who’ve been skating over a decade (such as myself) can happily spend hours there teaching younger kids and enjoying the ramps – it’s something that’s not seen by many parents, but there is a real community spirit there when the right people are around, and it’ll be even better when the new park is built, largely because the concrete bowls will be ridable in a much wider range of weather. In short, i’m stoked!!
@Stiletto
I am assuming that this was intended as a dig at the organisation? In which case i am happy to discuss why this facility is long overdue, and justified, with anybody who feels this way. If not intended as a dig, i am sorry i have misinterpreted your post!
There are, i suppose obviously, no plans to involve the deaf, dumb, or blind kids (sorry, i couldn’t help it) in the park, however care has been taken to ensure that the park, bowls especially, will be well fenced off so that nobody can stumble into them by accident etc.
Again, if anybody has any concerns please feel free to contact me direct, through the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/280662925673/.
Donations can be made by visiting http://www.gxsa.org.
Many Thanks.
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Lucie
I am not trying to do anything, I am pointing out a constitutional fact.
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