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Shredenhams hosts first inclusive skate and WCMX jam
On Saturday, skatepark Shredenhams hosted its first inclusive skate and wheelchair motorcross (WCMX) jam.
Throughout the day a schedule of activities were arranged that puts inclusivity centre stage.
Activities including a ‘come and try’ session for newcomers to WCMX and adaptive skateboarding, an open skate game for riders of all abilities, workshops on smartphone filming and wheelchair maintenance, as well as quiet zone and arts area.
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They even have prizes, with the top prize of wheels with added suspension generously donated from Loopwheels.
At about midday its the jam session and about a dozen people in wheelchairs are launching themselves zealously at a rail, grinding almost 3/4 of the way before crashing out on strategically placed mats.
Those waiting their turn are quick to huddle around each person rallying them up with energy and confidence as they pat each other on the back.
Each time the approach to the rail stretches out further as they attempt to gather speed to propel them across the rail.
Who manages to land this is anyone’s guess but each time they scoop each other up and eagerly do it all over again.
Bella Warely is the Skateable Spaces development officer and Amber Edmondson is coach development lead at Skateboard GB -photo: Hannah Massoudi
The event is hosted in collaboration with Skateboard GB who say they’re bringing national support, visibility and investment to grassroots initiatives like the one at Shredenhams with the aim of helping make skateboarding more inclusive, accessible, and representative across Great Britain.
Bella Warley who works with Team GB as their Skateable Spaces development officer, reflects on the rise in popularity and how they’re meeting the demands.
Throughout lockdown many more people picked up a board and learnt to skate, she says interestingly this period saw much more girls now taking it up.
Then skateboarding made it s debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, that saw another uptick in people wanting to learning.
Throughout Bristol, skateboarding is thriving, with organisations like Campus Skateboarding leading the way to create skate spaces across Bristol like Shredenhams and Campus Pool.
Now Bella says, at GB they’re trying to “close the gap”in understandings between adapted skating and non-adapted.
“It’s been a big learning curve at Team GB.”
Ahead of the event they conducted a walkabouts of the the park with those with a range of disabilities to review the accessibility.
They even mapped out the routes from travel points like Bristol Coach Station and Temple Meads to the park, so that they could relay as much useful information as possible to visitors so they knew what to expect.
This she highlights is important, while they can’t change the roads or transport to be more accessible, they can however, give that information so each individual knows what to anticipate and can make their own adjustments ahead of time.
Throughout talks with different people with disabilities, planning ahead is often a crucial step of getting any anywhere.
Bella points out some of the fixtures that had been designed by May Park Primary School and used in the event before heading back to the school’s ground.
For this event several fixtures have been borrowed or rented, with a frame coming all the way from Adrenaline Alley in Corby.
Team GB’s focus is on improving indoor parks as best they can, Bella uses TR7 in Cornwall as example as best practice. There they have moving harnesses attached to bungee cord that allow for users to move about independently.
But TR7 is unlike anywhere else in the UK and for now, for now, events like this have to borrow.
It’s a challenge that two-time WCMX world champion Tomas Woods also highlights.
He’s come down from Preston to give WCMX trick clinics, as well as allowing for some fun by getting involved with the jams.
The lead up to the event was busy for all involved and before the event could get up and running, Tomas was in the building making sure everything was accessible as it could be.
“There isn’t really enough to go around,” he says. “We’re always tight on something.”
The 16 year-old who took up the sport only five years ago has achieved massive success in his field and has since become an advocate and consultant for inclusivity in skating.
Skateparks and organisers regularly come to him for advice and no-how on how to improve their spaces and events.
He decided to set up a foundation to ensure others were being empowered with the knowlege he and others have to carry out activities like these.
Because at the moment he says, “there aren’t enough hours in the day”, to be doing it all themselves.
Part of the day’s schedule is an inclusion workshop for coaches and community leaders with Skate CoCo (Team GB’s Skate own coaching and communities learning and development platform) and Access Sport, which seeks to remedy that lack of knowlege.
Tomas Woods at a skatepark in Manchester – photo: Grayston Action Sports
Tomas was also on hand to teach some basic wheelchair maintenance.
Throughout the years he has become well-verse in wheelchair maintenance and he knows how expensive it can be to maintain them having previously had to crowdfund before.
A frame helps one of the participants to glide across park – photo: Morgan Roberts
The winner of the new wheels being announced – photo: Morgan Roberts
The skaters were all overjoyed for each other – photo: Morgan Roberts
Some of the pieces were designed specifically for those with access needs – photo: Morgan Roberts
This skater confidently glides across the rail with no mat in place to catch them – photo: Morgan Roberts
Main photo: Ashley Payne
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