Fives & Heronians Cricket Club

Flo Skatepark, Derby

After helping to develop the original Flo Skatepark over in Nottingham back in 2021 (see how we did this here) and Kaset Skatepark over in King’s Lynn too, we went on to support Flo Skatepark in establishing its new home in Derby, after the Nottingham site was being forced to close to make way for a bridge development.

The project has been a real collaboration across the community delivering true social value. Working in partnership with Derby City Council and Places for People, and alongside a wide network of local businesses and national construction partners, VIY played a key role in helping bring the new site to life.

This included partners such as Acorn Signs & Engraving, Balfour Beatty, Barrett Group, Collins Earthworks, Dulux, Falcon Timber, Galldris Group, Juice Electrical, Keltbray, Lyreco, MKM, Sunbelt Rentals, Tarmac, Tarkett and Travis Perkins, who supported the delivery through materials, and their time and expertise.

The new Flo Skatepark in Derby was developed as a high-quality indoor skateboarding destination. It provides a safe, inclusive space for people of all ages and abilities to learn, practise and progress year-round and it will have a lasting positive impact on skateboarding locally and regionally. It also creates opportunities for coaching, events and competitions, while supporting active lifestyles and reinforcing Derby’s commitment to inclusive, youth-focused spaces that deliver wider community benefit.

The Project

VIY supported Flo Skatepark through the hands-on construction of the skatepark itself – including building the street plaza, beginners zone, as well as a large-scale refurbishment of four existing units that were in disrepair. These were transformed into kitchen space, reception, viewing zones, and other multi-use functional areas – including a hireable indoor classroom and spaces for community and commercial use – helping to support the long-term sustainability of the park.

The works involved stripping out existing fittings and fixtures and transforming the units into new, functional spaces aligned with Flo’s vision of safe, accessible community use. Reclaimed materials from the original Flo Skatepark in Nottingham were reused where possible, including timber from ramps and steel from rails. This reduced waste, supported cost efficiency, and helped carry the character and history of the original park into the new space.

Young people

• 43 local young people took part through VIY (referred via Derby College, Derby Youth Justice Service, Derby Job Centre, Derby Skills Academy, and Step Up Derby), gaining hands-on experience and being mentored by VIY Trade Mentors while directly helping to build the skatepark.
• 86% of young people gained Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications, and built confidence through real-world project delivery. This is already supporting progression into further training, apprenticeships and employment pathways

100% of learners felt more confident about getting a job in the future as a result of the skills gained through their involvement in building the skatepark as part of the VIY project.

Including two leaners who were so inspired by by Kane, one of our Trade Mentors and a Painter and Decorator by trade, that they’ve since gone on to find local work in painting and decorating. Seeing Kane in action – and realising the opportunities in the trade – gave them the confidence to start taking on jobs in their community, a brilliant example of how positive role models on site can spark real, lasting change.

Another learner said: “I’ve really enjoyed working on building the new skate park and learning new skills from the mentors. It’s definitely helped me develop my joinery skills, and I know it will support me when making decisions about my future career.”

🎥See behind the scenes of this project here. 

Flo Skatepark

In 2021, Skateboarding Team GB made their debut in Tokyo, the first Olympics to feature skateboarding as a sport in the Games. In August of the same year, we worked on a refurbishment project at Flo Skatepark in Nottingham, identified by VIY in partnership with Skateboard GB, our second project together following a successful refurbishment at LS-Ten Skatepark in Leeds. Both were exciting opportunities to improve the quality and accessibility of skateboarding in the area, as part of their strategy to create skateboarding ‘hubs’ across the UK to inspire new young talent.

We worked together with specialist skatepark builder 414 Skateparks to design and carry out the extensive works to the indoor skatepark, supported by Persimmon Homes, Travis Perkins Nottingham, GAP Tool Hire and Sport England too.

Professional tradespeople from the area, led by VIY’s Lead Mentors, supported 30 young volunteers aged 14-24 (many of whom are not in education, employment or training) to take an active role in the renovation of the park’s indoor ramp area. 

The project has helped them to develop new employability skills and work towards Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations in practical trades such as joinery. 

As part of their learning, we also ran a carpentry workshop for our young people. Generous donations of timber were given by Travis Perkins Nottingham to renovate and ‘ramp up’ the training spaces at the skatepark, whilst also using 25% reclaimed timber from the previous site. Assistant Branch Manager Arron Martin was incredibly supportive and visited the students during their carpentry workshop. 

We worked in partnership with Persimmon Homes on this project, their support including match funding, staff volunteers lending a hand on site, supporting qualifications for young people and offering participants pathways into the trade sector.

Contracts Manager for Persimmon Homes, Zenon Pointon, volunteered as a Mentor on the project and told us: “It was a pleasure to give my time and guidance to the enthusiastic team of volunteers. It was a fulfilling project to be part of and we hope it has inspired more young people pursue a career in construction, in particular joinery.”

Upon completion, young skater Miriam Nelson, 13, a Skateboard GB hopeful, was one of the first to try out the new ramps, and she said: 

“The renovation of Flo and all the hard work that has gone into it is amazing. It was good before but now it’s just even better than ever for all skaters.”

Football Beyond Borders

Forest Field Play Centre

Project Contact: Katie Booth, email katie@teamviy.com

Forest Oak School

Forest Town Youth Centre

Forest Way School

Four Dwellings Academy

Foxford School

« Previous Page — Next Page »