Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh-1ue0Y4uE
The Brighton Youth Centre which opened in 1917, has since added many activities to help support the young people in the Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas. In the early 2000s, they added a Skatepark, however it wasn’t until 2016 that it became a permeate feature based on Edward Street.
While the Skatepark isn’t the only factor causing there to be a significant decrease in the number of reported crimes in the area for the last two decades, it could be helping to support the people who attend by giving them a safe and controlled environment throughout the year, but especially in the dark nights of winter.
We managed to interview Alex, who is a regular skater at the park, who has been going since he was a teenager and continues to do so, because of the safety he gets there, compared to some of the other skateparks around, in Brighton as well as in neighbouring towns and cities.
Liam Teague is the manager of the skatepark, and he shared his views on the decreasing crime rates and how the skatepark could play a part, as well as the aims of the park from a youth workers perspective as well as a skating perspective.
