By Graham Baker, town council youth development worker
On Saturday, Bradley Stoke Town Council youth workers and young volunteers organised the return, to Jubilee Green, of the popular combination of the skate half-pipe (provided by King Ramps) and street art workshops (courtesy of Paintsmiths). The half-pipe accommodated displays by the pro’ riders, coupled with the chance for festival goers to ‘have a go’ on their skate boards, bikes and scooters. Alongside, some amazing art works were created by young festival goers and over 70 boards were completed and proudly taken home for display, as well as young people contributing to a large art wall.
On Sunday, at the skate park, over 250 people attended the annual festival Skate Jam with competitions in scooter, BMX and skateboard categories. The half-pipe was relocated from Jubilee Green, to offer extra capacity, and a circus skills workshop provided an added attraction. As on Saturday, there were several pro’ rider demos spaced throughout the afternoon, including spectacular displays from Jack Clark of the British BMX Freestyle Team (now an Olympic sport).
Young people were not only instrumental in helping to plan and deliver the two days of activities but were also heavily involved in documenting both days and promoting them through social media.
Lots of young people and parents were also appreciative of the two days, saying the Skate Jam “was a great day”; “Thanks for a well organised event”; and “The displays were amazing”. The Saturday art workshops were also highly regarded, with parents saying: “We’d love to see more opportunities like this”; and “This is something a bit different”.
If you are a young person living in the Bradley Stoke area and aged 11 to 19 who would like to find out about our other youth work and youth participation projects or would like to get involved as a young person or volunteer please contact the youth development & participation worker on 07900 253826 or email graham.baker@bradleystoke.gov.uk
Photo: Skate Jam prize winners in the scooter competition.
Photo: Street art zone at the Saturday event on Jubilee Green.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 24). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
