Blackpool’s new £220,000 skate park opens in Stanley Park

Skaters, skateboarders and BMX fans turned out in force to celebrate the opening of a 4,000 sq m new skate park in Blackpool.

The new facility, packed with stairs, ledges, rails, curbs, quarter pipes as well as a mini ramp to test riders’ skills, was the brainchild of two local skateboarders, Simon Bennet and Big Woody, who founded the Stanley Park Skate Park Development Group to convert a run-down area of Stanley Park into an attraction that will bring people in from across the county.

They had the support of Blackpool Council and the Friends of Stanley Park plus funding from Sport England and Suez to meet the £220,000 cost.

Big Woody said: “It’s in a beautiful setting and the first purpose designed concrete skate park the area has had. It will attract visitors from all over. It’s not just for skateboarders, there are areas for inline skaters and BMX riders too .”