‘A skate park in Derry would be nothing but a positive thing’

The renewed campaign for somewhere for skaters to go to hone their skills is gathering pace and more than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for a skate park in Derry.

A proposal was submitted to Derry City and Strabane District Council last month and the organisers of the campaign met with the Mayor Brian Tierney.

The proposal to the council outlined the benefits of skateboarding for physical and mental health.

It also outlined the physical health benefits and the potential to attract tourists to the city.

Organisers say the Mayor is keen to progress the proposal and further meetings with council officials are scheduled to discuss possible sites and avenues to secure funding.

For many skateboarders, a skate park in the city would be a ‘dream’.

Adam Morrison has been skating for the last seven years and it means ‘everything’ to him.

His dad Kevin said that the local skateboarding community has been extremely welcoming to the 14-year-old, who has Down Syndrome.

“Adam began watching people skateboarding on YouTube and we began taking him to Rosy Skatepark initially to let him watch, because we thought it might be too much for him.

“As soon as he went in, all the other fellas took to him. I don’t know what it is about that skate culture, but they are all so lovely and welcoming to Adam.

“We got him lessons and that brought on his confidence. He would go to Ebrington Square the odd time in the evenings and would be out skating in the street or down at the Quay a few times a week.”

Kevin said the sense of community among the skaters is ‘absolutely fantastic’.

“They show Adam all the tricks and nothing is too much bother for them. Kids with Down Syndrome take a wee bit longer to learn and they are visual learners, but these fellas have the patience to help him learn.”

He said that Adam is quite shy and skateboarding has ‘really brought him out of his shell’. “It has been a brilliant outlet for Adam. If there was a skate park in the city it would be a fantastic thing. It would mean the world to him to have somewhere dedicated to go. We have travelled to Letterkenny to go to the skate park, but it is not just about the skating, it’s about the camaraderie and friendships. Without a local skate park they are missing out on that.

“We try to include Adam in as much as possible, with skateboarding that happened naturally thanks to the nature of the community.”

Kevin said it would be a ‘fantastic addition’ to the city because there are so many people interested in it.

Ciaran Anderson’s 12-year-old son Jake has been skateboarding since he was six and spends hours each day on his board.

Ciaran, who wrote the proposal submitted to council, said that if there was a skate park in Derry his son would have somewhere safe to go to practice.

“Jake used to go to the Rosy Skate Park in Pennyburn, until it closed down. From the minute he started, he has been skateboarding on the brain and that was where my interest in the campaign really began.

“He is actually pretty good and skates with all the older fellas. I really like the whole ethos of the skateboarding community because their outlook is so positive and it gives you a bit of hope for the future. They are all so good to Jake and keep an eye on him.

“I see something very different in this community and they deserve a chance with a skate park.”

Ciaran said that skateboarding has given Jake a real focus.

“Jake has lots of energy and was never content to sit around on game consoles so I have to find things to keep him focussed and occupied - skateboarding does that.

“He skates every night for a few hours and if there was somewhere safe for him to go it would be brilliant.”

He said skateboarding is a sport where there are no barriers and everyone is welcome.

“There is no discrimination in relation to gender or age and young people with anxiety really thrive. It is the only community without barriers.”

Ciaran is hopeful that the city will get a skate park thanks to the renewed campaign.

“There are a few significant differences now with this campaign. One is the Peace Bridge, which has really tied the city together. Ebrington Square has become something of a mecca for the skaters, who didn’t really have anywhere to congregate before.

“The other is the power of social media and that has allowed us to keep the momentum in the campaign.”

While skate parks are most closely associated with skateboards, they can be used for a wide range of roller sports.

Roller derby skater ‘Rebel Rebel’ is regularly seen making her way about the city on her roller skates and would love to see a skate park created in Derry.

The local woman has been roller skating for most of her life and has been involved with roller derby since 2011.

She said that one of the main barriers for people getting involved in similar roller sports is often money.

“You have to hire rooms to practice, or just practice on the streets. A free skate park in the city would remove that barrier and perhaps encourage more people to get involved.

“Skating is really fun and often doesn’t feel like exercise. All throughout lockdown it has become more visible and I have seen more people using their free time to skate.

“I am quite regularly stopped and asked where I got my skates and I know of someone who went out and got a pair after seeing me skating up and down the Foyle.”

She said that skating has allowed her to experience the city in a very different way.

“With all the renewed focus on our neighbourhoods, as people have been unable to go to places or do things they normally would, I really do hope that the recreational provisions are improved.

“This is the time to make stuff happen and a skate park really would be a dream. It would have so many benefits and I know a lot of people who visit cities just to go to the skate parks.”

One local businessman, who recently opened a skate shop, has said a skate park in the city would be ‘nothing but a positive thing’.

Greg McNeill, of Basement Skate Shop, has always been interested in skateboarding and thought that the scene was dead in Derry.

However, he said in recent times there has been a massive resurgence of skateboarding and more young people are getting involved in the sport.

“I was always interested in skateboarding and I was involved in it almost all my life, but I’m a bit too old and weak to get on a board now!

“In all the businesses I own there is a skateboard somewhere in the premises, as a nod to what I used to do.

“I decided to open the skate shop to provide somewhere for people to get their stuff and try to build the culture again.”

Greg said that the ‘demand has been huge so far’ and stock is flying off the shelves.

He said that during the Covid lockdown skateboarders became more visible in the city and that gave him ‘a real boost that there were customers out there’.

“The level of skateboarding talent in our town is phenomenal. There is no sectarianism, age or gender discrimination involved and it really is one of the few sports you can say that about. It would also bring tourists to Derry.

“We are one of the very few cities without a skate park and I think the power of social media will help deliver it. I would really like to see one here, it would be nothing but a positive thing.”