Viva Lewes Issue #130 July 2017

MY SPACE
public consultation. The winning design
was from Wheelscape from Bristol. We
worked very hard with Wheelscape to
come up with something unique. The
results, I believe, are spectacular.
There are plenty of features, including
a volcano, a doorway and a DIY-esque
spine. There’s a back wall feature that was
inspired by a DIY skate park in Sweden.
There’s a Harvey’s beer barrel embedded
in one of the walls. There are other little
nods to Lewes town, too. There’s a wall
inspired by mathematical tiles; the tile
finishing and colours make it reminiscent
of Pells Pool; there’s an ammonite feature
like Brian the Snail.
I reckon it’s one of the best parks
for miles around. Most parks are very
forward-backward, so if you hit something
wrong, you have to start all over
again. Here if you hit something wrong,
you’ll end up hitting something else – it’s
extremely ‘flowy’.
A lot of old local skaters have come
out of the woodwork since it was
completed, reenergising the skate scene,
and we’ve had visitors from miles around.
There was a minibus full of guys from
Bournemouth the other day, and there’ll
be plenty more in the future. A new park
this original gets talked about all over the
country – and people will travel to use it.
We’re not finished yet - we’ve got
a wish list of extra features. Floodlights
would be a nice addition; a water
fountain would be good; I’d like to build
a barbecue in the shape of a quarter pipe
for summer evening feasts.
My day job is as a graphic designer; I
work for the Sussex Wildlife Trust. It’s
great to be able to come somewhere like
this for a skate after work. It’s been well
worth all the hassle - I’m stoked, to be
honest. As told to Alex Leith
Photos by Alex Leith
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