Skateboarders flipping delighted as new park opens
BBCSkateboarders in Leicester have welcomed the opening of a new skatepark in the city.
Leicester City Council officially opened the new facility at St Margaret's Pastures sports ground on Thursday after spending £375,000 on the project.
The council partnered with specialist firm Maverick Industries to create the attraction, with the company gathering feedback on designs from more than 500 skatepark users.
Will Simpson, 21, told the BBC it had been a "long time" since the city had a new skatepark and he felt it "incorporates new features of skateboarding culture in the 2020s".
He said: "I'm just very happy we've got something new and we can finally go back to being a great skate scene, like we used to have around 20 years ago."
The council said features included flat bank ramps, grind rails, ledges, a stair set, a wheelie pad and a quarter pipe that runs the full length of one end.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "The new skatepark looks fantastic and we're really pleased to see it complete and ready to use in time for the summer break.
"St Margaret's Pastures is already home to several well-used sports pitches and facilities and it made good sense to use a vacant part of the site to expand the range of outdoor activities on offer."
Soulsby added it was "absolutely wonderful" a facility like this could be built at a time when money "isn't readily available".
Russ Holbert, a director at Maverick Industries, said as part of the design process the company spent "a lot of time" with people in the area to find out what they wanted in the skatepark.
"That way you get community buy-in, and actually importantly you're including elements and a layout that is designed with them in mind," he said.
"That is how you achieve success with skateparks in my opinion."
Another skateboarder, Luke Aucott, 41, added: "This is one of the best facilities Leicester's had, ever, it's really smooth and there's lots of stuff for everyone to try."
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