Stockport Skaters are flying high at Stockport’s new skate park in Alexandra Park, Edgeley.
Alexandra Park’s fantastic new facility for Stockport skaters, BMXers, scooter riders and inline skaters is now open. The construction of the skate park is now complete and the fences are now coming down!
Alexandra Skatepark Association led this project from the very start and, through partnership working, has delivered a top class Skate Park serving the whole of Stockport town centre and the surrounding districts. It was carefully designed to cater for a wide range of skill levels and experience, and provides challenging routes for those just beginning to skate, to the most experienced of riders.
Owen Peters, Member of the Alexandra Park Skatepark Association, said: “It has taken an unbelievable amount of time and hard work to get to where we are. When we first started the Association we never expected to get the amount of support and drive that we did. I would personally like to thank everyone for their support. The anticipation from the community has been truly overwhelming. I would also like to thank all the agencies that got us to the place we are today. I’ll see you all at the skate park!”
From the conception to the completion, this project had always been instigated and driven by Stockport Skateboarders and young people from the heart of the community. They identified a need for somewhere local that was free, accessible and usable by local people of all ages and abilities. Parents were also behind the idea, as they were taking their children all over the North West to skate parks, so they recognised that having something on their doorstep would be fantastic.
The young people contacted their local Councillors, who have been involved with this project from the beginning, consulted park users and also established a Facebook group in order to expand the group and reach out to the wider community.
Councillor Sheila Bailey, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Communities & Housing, said: “This project is a credit to everyone involved. It has taken several years to complete but persistence and commitment have been rewarded. I am sure the facility will be a great asset to the local community.”
Stockport Council provided the first contribution of £50,000 from commuted sums held for sports development; Life Leisure also showed their commitment to this project by contributing £50,000. Alexandra Skatepark Association then applied for a grant from Veolia Environmental Trust and received an additional £36,850. Stockport Homes also made a contribution of £5,000.
Malcolm McPhail, CEO at Life Leisure, commented: “We are delighted that the project has come to fruition and are very proud to have played a part in bringing this fantastic project to life. Young people from the local community have shown so much passion and commitment throughout the entire process, so seeing their vision realised is hugely important. The Skate Park is a great example of how a modern alliance gets things done and makes things happen here in Stockport better.”
The skate park is located at Alexandra Park, Edgeley Road, Edgeley, Stockport, SK1 3XE.
Paul Taylor, Executive Director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, added: “We support community projects across England and Wales. Skate parks have many benefits for young people and the areas they are located in and we are very happy to be able help with the creation of this one.”