 |  | Just in time for the end of the Easter holidays, the new skate park on Holbrook Lane opened in Foleshill but its opening wasn't as successful as everyone had hoped.
|  | Inliners and BMXers in the new bowls |
Some of the kids that use the park felt they had to defend their territory as skaters, inliners and BMXers flocked to the new bowl.
The excitement of the new skate park was spoiled by angry scenes as stones and mud were thrown at the newcomers.
The police were called and kept an eye on the area from a distance, which reduced the conflict to simple insults being thrown instead.
Grant, one of the park’s locals, explained: “The park’s good but I don’t know why other people have to come here.
"The goths and greebos threatened to throw their skateboards at us and they said we smoke and drink. I don’t know why they’re here, they’ve got Memorial Park and they should be there.
"All we want to do is ride around it on our bikes and have fun.”
|  | Some of the local kids watching the skaters |
Local skate shop owner Paul Atkins, who helped to design the bowl, said he was “gutted” the opening had “kicked off”.
He explained: “The kids were sitting with their legs hanging down into the bowl and we told them to move or they’d get hit by the boards when we skate.
"Some of them then started reacting, saying ‘Do you want to hit us?’ and it all kicked off.”
Matt added: "It's in the wrong area, the locals aren't BMXers or skaters. They've been throwing mud into the ramps which makes it slippy so you can't ride. And if you hit a stone in there it could be really dangerous."
|  | BMXer on the bowl edge |
The £130,000 skate park is a huge double bowl and is the only one of its kind in the city.
Designed with the help of local skateboarders, it really is the business and no one wants this opening to spoil its use in the future.
It’s possible that the timing, of opening the park at the end of the holidays when kids are bored, won’t have helped.
The skaters hope the conflict won’t last, as one skater, Brent, said: “We’ve come all the way from Leicester and got the day off work to check out the new bowl. And it’s dead good, it’s brilliant.
“But it’s just gone crazy here because of the mud bombs and stuff. Hopefully the novelty will wear off and this won’t happen again.”
|  | Skaters at the park |
Dominic and Craig added: "The park is amazing, the design is just perfect, but it's in the wrong place.
"But at the moment I'd say people shouldn't come here on there own because I don't feel safe."
Despite some of the protests, one of the park's aims was to attract as many people as possible. And its location was key to it being built at all.
The park has been paid for by successful fundraising by the Holbrooks Community Care Association, with support from Coventry City Council. Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) was the main source of the cash.
Everyone hopes the awkward start of the skate park is just a glitch and soon it will be appreciated by all walks of life and skill levels.
This would please everyone involved and reach Councillor Tony Skipper's great aims:"We aim to give as many young people as possible access to a safe and exciting environment for this very popular outdoor sport.”
|  | View of the double bowl |
Click the images button below to see a gallery of the new park.
The photographs were all taken on the park's opening day, so you can check out the curves and see the BMXers, inliners, skaters and kids that helped to give it a very unusual Christening.
Your views | Have you been to the new park yet?
Were you there at the opening?
What do you think?
Email us on coventry@bbc.co.uk and we'll put your thoughts here online.
Daniel said:
"Holbrooks new bowl is great but the kids there are tramps."
Mark said:
"I live right next to the recently built skatepark, Ive noticed that the
problem of youths hanging around the park, and chucking things in etc has
reduced. The novelty of the park has seemed to have worn of for the local
commoners.
"However if your thinking about going down for a skate ,you should
take a broom, as dirt from around the park tends to blow in overnight." |
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