DIY skate spots are springing up all over the UK
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by Richard Johnson
A do-it-yourself attitude has been at the heart of skateboarding ever since surfers first crawled out of the sea and stuck wheels onto wooden boards so they could carve the streets when the waves were low. For decades, skaters have used wood, concrete and whatever else they can find to turn unloved, forgotten pieces of land into their own slices of shred heaven. Inspired by that heritage, Red Bull DIY—a project that ran July 25-October 5—offered skaters across the UK basic tools and materials to compete to build the best spot and win a trip to Sofia, Bulgaria, an emerging skate hotspot.
Pro-skateboarder Paul Regan told to us about his build in Hull, Yorkshire that made the judge’s final three. A few years back, Paul and his friends discovered a hidden-away spot at an abandoned factory with a smooth surface. But over time it overgrew. When the Red Bull DIY project kicked off, they headed to their local skate shop to pick up the free tools and cement on offer, then began making it skateable again.
“I’ve built the odd bench here and there, but never anything out of concrete or bricks before,” Paul says. “That was fun and a new experience, so thanks to Red Bull for sorting us out the gear to build a rad place to skate.”
Over a month, Paul and a crew of four mates went back every other day to work on their build. As they worked, other skaters dropped by to join in. Using the cement provided and metal coping, they fashioned two grind obstacles and built up a ramp against the factory wall.
“You get your own personal satisfaction from a DIY build,” Paul says. “You put your own hard work into the spot and create something you want to build, not something that has been purposely designed and made for you. You engage and connect with other skaters and have something great to look back on.”
They held a BBQ to celebrate completing the work and stuck the Red Bull DIY medallion, part of the DIY kit, onto one of the grind obstacles. They shot pics of themsleves skating the spot and emailed them to Red Bull. Weeks later, Paul heard they made the top three finalists, alongside Skate Pharmacy in Margate and Dazed Retail in Stoke-On-Trent.
After travelling to each spot and thrashing them personally, judges Korahn Gayle, Nick Remon and Jordan Thackeray awarded the top prize and the Sofia skate trip to Stoke-On-Trent’s Dazed Retail.
Find out more about the Red Bull DIY project.
Check out the Red Bull DIY tour video here, featuring Korahn Gayle, Jordan Thackeray and Nick Remon.
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