A local skatepark in Wandsworth, on Kimber Road, has been running lockdown sessions for the younger community during lockdown. Since it closed, there have been Fornite Fights and ‘Build-A-Board’ workshops run by some of the staff. On their social media you can also find many useful videos on skating, and tips about tricks. This extra effort put in goes a long way to encourage the kids and teens that usually frequent the park to socialise more during lockdown, and provides a way to further their passion for skating.

Kimber Skatepark is a Council Community Project, and when open it is free, with a new booking system created to manage in the pandemic. It is seen as a haven, and a sort-of home to the young skaters who live locally. Skating is a type of exercise, and maybe the only exercise some of the kids participate in. The sport also creates a community, one that supports and encourages each other; you form lasting friendships through skateboarding. 

When the park closed, many might have felt as if they could not continue skating as they once did, and it may have seemed as if they were isolated. However, these workshops and small events will have brought people back together, or at least made them feel more involved, and the videos on how to continue at home or on the street will have motivated others to practice in different environments and progress, even without the park. This article is to generally commend the staff for going the extra mile to help during lockdown, and to promote the skatepark as one that has a strong sense of community. 

By Lara Stimpson