Urban Art And Sports Festival To Celebrate Adrenaline Alley 10th Anniversary

From 10am on Saturday 24th September t0 8pm on Sunday 25th, Europe’s largest skate park, Adrenaline Alley, is celebrating its ten year anniversary with an urban art and sports festival and an all-night event.

The event, called Alleyfest, will host BMX, inline skating, scooter and skateboard competitions at professional level, public riding sessions, have-a-go coaching sessions, street art demonstrations, different DJs in each building and even a silent disco, where people dance to music that is transmitted through wireless headphones rather than played over a speaker system.

Mandy Young, founder of Adrenaline Alley, said:

This festival is a real milestone for our family and the charity and puts Adrenaline Alley on the map for urban sports.

“It’s been an amazing journey and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved for our community over the past ten years.

“So many people have benefited from the facilities: in particular local children have been able to enjoy sports and other activities in a safe, secure and social environment. Helping young people to stay on the straight and narrow has been particularly rewarding and it’s great to see them developing and gaining employment through volunteering and training.

“On the 17th September it will be six years since we lost our son and the festival will celebrate his life – had it not been for him Adrenaline Alley would not exist, it’s his legacy.”

In July last year a £900,000 loan from Charity Bank enabled Adrenaline Alley to buy its 7.5 acre site, home to its multi-complex with over 120,000 sq ft of ramps. The purchase has allowed it to expand and have the flexibility to adapt quickly to trends within the urban sports industry, ensuring its revenues continue to grow. It also secured additional land to develop in the future. Owning the freehold has increased its chances of securing grant-funding to support new projects and, as a community business, of maximising its impact for the local community.

Alleyfest will see the launch of a new indoor plaza for the skate park, backed by a £500,000 grant from the community business funder Power to Change. David Chaytor, Head of Community Business Funds at Power to Change, said: “We believe putting business in community hands transforms places. Adrenaline Alley is making strides to improve the health and wellbeing of local people through urban sports.”

Peter Hughes, regional manager at Charity Bank, said: “Projects that transform communities for the better and provide support and a safe haven for our young people, deserve all the backing that we can give them. Watching Adrenaline Alley grow from strength to strength has been a real privilege for Charity Bank and those that save with us can see how their money is being used as a force for good.”