Growing the Skate Garden - Tunbridge Wells

Introduction

A Tunbridge Wells skateboard community project - to raise £10,000 to construct new features and resurface areas of the existing skatepark in St.Johns For over 15 years, the ‘Skate Garden’ has been a cherished community space, bringing skateboarders of all ages and abilities together. With the design of the original skatepark becoming mundane and some surfaces becoming increasingly dilapidated, the budget will be used to add a collection of novel obstacles to the skatepark and allow for some necessary re-surfacing. With The Skate Garden becoming a vital community space for young people growing up in Tunbridge Wells, we hope that the redevelopment not only improves the skateboarding experiences of those who use it but further expands the community formed around the skatepark. Any donations are greatly appreciated by the Tunbridge Wells skateboard community past, present and future.

Designs

The designs have been created by industry professional Harry Gerrard in consultation with the local skateboarding community, past and present. Harry Gerrard founded the international NGO Concrete Jungle Foundation, a non-profit that works to empower individuals and communities worldwide through fostering and sustaining the positive values inherent to skateboarding, and works as a professional builder for skatepark king-pins Betongpark Skateparks and Nine Yards Skateparks in the UK and Holland. The designs and building of the new obstacles have been developed and constructed within the community of users to ensure local ownership and maximising engagement to ensure long-lasting and meaningful use. Appealing to different skateboarding styles, approaches and abilities to maximise inclusivity from beginners to intermediates and experts.

The Need

Skateboarding has seen a beautiful explosion in popularity in recent years; as a result of this, both young people and adults have come to know and love the benefits of skating, both physically and mentally. With a pre-existing space already in Tunbridge Wells, we believe this restoration is vital for the continuation of skateboarding growth and for its widely acknowledged benefits to grow within our community and meaningfully impact young people growing up in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas. Since The Skate Garden opened in 2006, generations of young skateboarders from different backgrounds have used the space to practice skateboarding and create friendships and networks of personal growth. For a small suburban town, Tunbridge Wells has seen several successful skateboarders arise from The Skate Garden, serving as a vital yet dilapidating youth-based infrastructure. From skateboarders who have made impressions on the professional scene, to individuals who have created skate-based charities enriching the lives of those less fortunate and the creation of local businesses such as Tunbridge Wells Skate Lessons, The Skate Garden is more than just a skatepark but a community-hub which has created talented athletes, entrepreneurs and real-world impact across the globe. The Skate Garden has supported young people from Tunbridge Wells to grow and develop to become instigators of positive change, which threatens to be lost as the condition of the skatepark rapidly deteriorates. The redevelopment will stop this from happening and encourage more use from which local young people can develop and positively affect the world around them.

LONG LIVE THE SKATE GARDEN!