Hull plans to become a well-known hub for skateboarding, and host a National annual skateboarding event in a bid to create a ‘Skate Legacy’ for the city.
The 10-year plan which kicked off on Tuesday is part of the city’s cultural strategy and anticipates a boost as skateboarding becomes an Olympic sport in Tokyo 2020.
Hull is already home to 10 skate parks, and plans to link them via various ‘Skateboard friendly’ projects in dedicated spaces throughout the city.
Among its aims is the hope to encourage young people to take up the ‘sport’ in a safe and considerate manner.
Mark English, Owner of indoor skatepark Rock City since its opening in 1994, said: “It’s a really big step for Hull“, saying “it was exactly how local councils should work”. The growth of the sport in the city had “happened organically” over several decades.
Hull is to be 2017 City of Culture and hosting such an event had already helped “change people’s perspectives from kids on the street to the council“. Hull could become the “first city” for the sport in the UK, he added.
One of the country’s former top professional skateboarders, Scott Palmer, is from Hull and started in the city’s parks and says…
“Skateboarding is one of the most progressive sports or activities, people are pushing the boundaries all the time.“
Councillor Terry Geraghty said: “As a city we support the mainstream sports well, but we also need to ensure we support the more diverse sports such as skateboarding.”
Part of the strategy plans to compose a ‘Code of Conduct for Skateboarders‘ to try to promote a safe and practical set of guidelines for skateboarding amongst the public.
Huge congratulations to Hull for setting the groundwork on this in the UK, we hope other cities follow suit!
Keep up to date with Rock City on Instagram @rockcityskatepark
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