One of the best skate parks in the UK, Oxhey Activity Park – introduced and managed by Watford Borough Council – has had an incredible year, with thousands visiting and the facilities supporting local and national talent of wheeled sports, such as skateboarding, BMX and scooting.
With the good mix of challenging street obstacles, as well as a wide mini ramp for those after some air time, the park has become to go-to place for many pro-skateboarders and BMX riders, such as Alex De Cunha and Lucy Adams.
For beginners wanting to take up the sport after being inspired by watching the Olympics, park-users have also been able to enjoy the bike pump track, smooth skate run, off-road bike circuit track and jump box section. Thanks to support of local coaching organisation ABC Skateboarding, over 500 riders have benefited from high quality skateboarding lessons that are safe and fun for students of all ages and abilities.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “With skateboarding and BMX becoming Olympic sports this year, we are so pleased that Oxhey Activity Park is catering for these activities, which continue to grow in popularity. From Olympic hopefuls to people just starting in wheeled sports, it’s great to see so many people benefiting from the state-of-the-art facilities we’ve introduced.
I would also like to thank ABC Skateboarding for helping park-users to develop their skills through coaching, mentoring and summer programmes, making it a destination for people from across the region. We hope Oxhey Activity Park continues to be enjoyed by skaters for years to come and that soon we’ll see another Watford Olympian on the podium.”
The impact of the park was highlighted by the Herts Service to Sport Awards, with Oxhey Activity Park being awarded the Vice Chairs Award earlier this year for being ‘one of the beacons of light that emerged during lockdown within Hertfordshire’. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft went on to say: “That a local authority was able to make such a significant investment in a modern state-of-the-art facility, at its heart the needs and views of young people, and at a time of such budgetary constraints, it’s a great credit to the vision and intent of Watford Borough Council.’
Visitors are guaranteed to have a great day out in this fantastic Green Flag award-winning park. This year saw it being voted one of the top 25 parks in the UK and it also includes a café, a bike trail, an adventure playground and new habitats aimed at improving biodiversity. You can find out more at oxheyactivitypark.co.uk