Selco Donates Materials For Birmingham DIY Skate Park

Selco has delivered tonnes of materials to help build the second phase of the country’s only DIY skateboard park to be given formal status.

We had already donated materials for the first phase of the Birmingham DIY Skate Park, located in Bournbrook Recreation Ground, Selly Oak, last year.

Now, our Stirchley branch has delivered additional sand, gravel and cement for a new bank for skaters to practice their jumps on.

Built by volunteers, the park meets stringent European safety standards and has passed Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) inspection, and is the only DIY skate park in the UK to become officially certified and open to the public. GB skateboarding Olympians Bombette Martin and Alex Halford also use it when they are in Birmingham.

Berni Good, Director of Birmingham Skate Spaces (BSS), the Community Interest Company (CIC) that runs the free-to-use park, thanked Selco for its continued support.

“This latest donation from Selco has been a massive help, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without these materials,” she said.

“The skateboarding family is a really supportive community and this park is making a positive difference to the young people who use it.”

Thanks to fundraising and donations, the CIC, which has a strategic partnership with Skateboard GB, has managed to build the skatepark for just over £7,000, compared to the £150,000 it would have cost if constructed to the same safety standards by a specialist company.

“The support we have had and continue to have from Selco has been extraordinary and fundamental to the project’s success.” said Berni.

The team at BSS is embarking on a new project for an indoor skatepark in Birmingham and are seeking further support.

Since receiving National Lottery funding in the summer, the CIC has been offering free coaching sessions to youngsters and more than 70 have been taught by qualified coaches.

Michael Mushen, branch manager of Selco Stirchley, in Charlotte Road, said: “It’s important for us to work closely with the communities we are based in and we’ve seen what a fantastic project this skateboard park is.

“With fewer places for young people to go, it offers a safe location where they can learn new skills and be part of a community. We’re only too pleased to help them out again by donating materials for the next phase of their build.”