100 signatures reached
To: Leicester City Council
Roller Skate Space for Victoria Park, Leicester
Develop a permanent dedicated space for roller skaters to use in Victoria Park, Leicester. This area should be large, smooth and well-draining like the tennis courts. Alternatively, grant scheduled access for roller skaters to use the tennis courts.
Why is this important?
The popularity of roller skating over the past year has grown immensely due to COVID-19. As a result, there has been a shortage of roller skates internationally with skate retailers reporting an 800% increase in sales since the start of the first lockdown over a year ago.
There are now hundreds of skaters within Leicester city, many of which skate in Victoria park. For many of us, it has been our main source of exercise throughout the pandemic and has provided a sense of community to all ages and backgrounds where we can teach, learn and bond with one another. It has encouraged friends and families to come together, socially distanced, and actively take part in a sport that is as effective as running.
At the moment, we are having to locate ourselves on public pathways, car parks and tennis courts. Anywhere that is flat and smooth enough to skate on, it is guaranteed a skater will know about it. Unfortunately, with this we are often told to move on resulting in the discouragement of this wonderful sport. I can say with 100% confidence that there are no safe skate spaces for roller skaters to practice in Leicester and we are forced to use whatever grounds are deemed suitable. Rough, uneven grounds result in more accidents and injuries.
By developing a dedicated safe skate space/outdoor rink, roller skaters will no longer be forced to skate in places that are illegal/where we shouldn’t be or be in the way of other people’s activities. An alternative would be scheduled time for roller skaters to use the tennis courts in Victoria park.
With the growing numbers of roller skaters and minimal flat smooth ground in Leicester, a safe legal skate space/outdoor roller rink is needed, for children and adults alike.
There are now hundreds of skaters within Leicester city, many of which skate in Victoria park. For many of us, it has been our main source of exercise throughout the pandemic and has provided a sense of community to all ages and backgrounds where we can teach, learn and bond with one another. It has encouraged friends and families to come together, socially distanced, and actively take part in a sport that is as effective as running.
At the moment, we are having to locate ourselves on public pathways, car parks and tennis courts. Anywhere that is flat and smooth enough to skate on, it is guaranteed a skater will know about it. Unfortunately, with this we are often told to move on resulting in the discouragement of this wonderful sport. I can say with 100% confidence that there are no safe skate spaces for roller skaters to practice in Leicester and we are forced to use whatever grounds are deemed suitable. Rough, uneven grounds result in more accidents and injuries.
By developing a dedicated safe skate space/outdoor rink, roller skaters will no longer be forced to skate in places that are illegal/where we shouldn’t be or be in the way of other people’s activities. An alternative would be scheduled time for roller skaters to use the tennis courts in Victoria park.
With the growing numbers of roller skaters and minimal flat smooth ground in Leicester, a safe legal skate space/outdoor roller rink is needed, for children and adults alike.
