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A long-awaited skatepark renovation in Victoria Park, Bedminster, has opened to the public as of March 16th, 2024.
The new skatepark now has ramps, a bowl, a hip, a flat bank and a wall stall, currently decorated with a mural by street artist sledone on Instagram - photo by Kyra McClarnon
The renovation project was started by Dan Higginson, founder of Bristol Skatepark Collective, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving skatepark facilities across Bristol.
In describing his motivation behind the project, Dan said that ‘Bristol seriously lacks in modern, fit-for-purpose skate facilities’, and highlighted a lack of free, readily-accessible spaces provided by the council, especially in central Bristol.
We’re talking about somewhere you can meet your friends, centrally, and spend a full day there. Victoria Park is nicely located, you can get there by train – it makes sense to have a space for people there.’
Since its opening a week ago, the Victoria Park skatepark has been packed with people on skateboards, BMX’s and scooters alike - photo by Kyra McClarnon
£150,000 was raised towards the project, through a mixture of grant applications, community infrastructure levies and public donations. £24,000 was raised by the public on Crowdfunder, and as part of a social media fundraising challenge held by BSC, streetwear brand Route One donated £5 for every kickflip video posted under the 'kicky4vicky' hashtag on Instagram.
The renovated skatepark was designed and constructed by Wheelscape, a Bristol-based company with a portfolio of skateparks built across the UK.
Dan told us how Russ Heideman, the director of Wheelscape, put his 'heart and soul into the project' and was a 'huge part of the success of it'.
Russ Heideman and the guys at Wheelscape have really gone the extra mile to make sure that Bristol gets the skatepark it deserves.’
When asked if Bristol Skatepark Community had any more upcoming renovation projects, Dan spoke of the campaign by Elevate to renovate St George’s Wheelpark, the skatepark in St George’s Park, which was backed by Mayor Marvin Rees in 2022 and projected to cost £1.5 million.
‘It’s a very much loved and used facility so there’s definitely a need for it… it’s just going to involve some serious investment. But you never know – watch this space, hopefully we can make something work.’
This is an original news article written by Kyra McClarnon, originally published in March 2024.