 |  | Report by Faye Claridge, web producer
In the first meeting of its kind, around 100 skaters in Coventry formed an unofficial skater’s council.
They gathered to talk about what skate facilities they want in Coventry, and size and safety were high on the agenda.
|  | Skaters and flip charts getting together for the good of Coventry |
It was very strange to see groups of skaters sitting around flip charts, some in pads and socks (inlines left at the door), but that just shows the stereotype these skaters are trying to fight.
They’re not hooligans, they don’t want to trash city streets or scare pedestrians, but they do want safe, challenging places to skate.
That’s why they got together.
Shaping the future of skating | |
See for yourself the range of people – and the serious way most of them got on with the meeting and the skate session afterwards – by clicking the images button below.
These are the people shouting out to shape the future of skating in Coventry.
Read on to find out how you can have your say and get involved.
|  | Brendan Malone of Zero-G discussing the issues with Inspector Phil Healey |
The meeting was called by Tony Skipper from Coventry City Council.
He told me he was getting so many letters and phone calls about skating – from skaters wanting better facilities and from non-skaters complaining about noise or damage – that he thought a get-together would help everyone.
The meeting successfully brought together skaters, BMXers, inliners - with ages ranging from 7 up to adults – along with parents, the police, councillors, youth workers and city management representatives.
To please all sides, the council wants to get skaters away from the city centre streets and is prepared to spend some money to do it.
They are especially worried about the damage being caused to Millennium Place (described with a smile as “a £5.5 million skate park” by one of the skaters).
There are three main options at the moment:
• Extend Zero-G skatepark (currently an indoor facility but could extend outdoors)
• Make a large outdoor city centre skatepark under the ring road
• Make smaller outdoor skateparks at sites on the edge of the city centre
|  | Zero-G's youngester skater, Jay, with his father |
Size and safety were the biggest issues in thinking about all of these.
The parents I spoke to (with children as young as 7) were very worried about safety in a city centre site, because of non-skaters or intimidation by older or better skaters.
For example, Lynne Proud said: “Kids would skate through to a city centre park from wherever their busses drop them, even if they’re not allowed to. Then they’d get into trouble and would get bad reputations again.
“I’m worried about the decision because my son, Jay, really lives for his Saturday’s down here [Zero-G]. He loves it because it’s safe and it’s a really friendly environment. Because he’s so small other kids don’t always let him on at the outdoor parks.
Paul O’Brien, aged 11, added: “A city centre park would get druggies down there and then we wouldn’t be allowed to go. And older kids would take the mick and younger kids wouldn’t get a fair chance.”
|  | One of the skaters getting his views down on paper |
Transport was also high on the agenda. The meeting was help at Zero-G so of course everyone there was relatively local, but everyone realised there are lots of other skaters from other parts of Coventry that might struggle to get to Foleshill.
Follow this link to find out about Zero-G.
Lynne Proud came up with one of the night’s many ideas: “A free bus from the city centre to Zero-G would be a solution, because then skaters from all over Coventry could come here.”
Even this had some of the skaters worried though. As the skate session after the meeting proved, the current skatepark at Zero-G just isn’t big enough.
Everyone at the meeting had a lot of good things to say about the park, but with 100 skaters in at once, they’re having to wait their turn, they’re getting in each other’s way and it’s just not as good as it could be.
If you missed the meeting, it’s not too late to get involved. Send us your views on what Coventry needs for skaters and we’ll pass these on to the councillors involved.
Just email us at coventry@bbc.co.uk.
Alternatively, put pen to paper and write directly to:
Councillor Tony Skipper
Culture and Leisure
Spire House
New Union Street
Coventry
CV1 2PS
|
