THE new owners of a skate shop in Winchester are hoping to inspire the next generation to take up the sport by offering free lessons during the school holiday.
Geoff Else and Cam Butterworth, skateboarders of 27 years, took over Butters Skate Shop in Stockbridge Road, Fulflood, in March last year.
Geoff, from Abbotts Barton, and Cam, from Andover, say they are now hoping to coach children into taking up the sport, teach them a few tricks and explain skate park etiquette.
They will be hosting two days of free lessons, on October 24 and 25, at Winchester Skate Park, at River Park behind the old leisure centre.
Geoff, 39, said: "It didn't take long to find a good handful of reasons to put on the free workshops.
"The summer was barely a summer with bad weather across the school holidays. The cost of living crisis has meant some families may have had to cut back on extra activities and outings.
"Plus skate parks in general can be a scary concept for some, and so, we just thought as the
new owners of the Winchester Skate Shop, we could easily provide something for those in Winchester and in all the surrounding communities too.
"Winchester is blessed with three outdoor state-of-the-art skate parks. This is literally the only place in England that can make such a boast. We're really lucky.
"So to help young people access these facilities for the first time we thought - free lessons for all!"
The sessions, which will see several sessions run over the two days with different sessions for different age groups, will be run by Qualified, DBS-checked, Insured Coaches and all equipment such as boards, helmets and pads will be provided.
Geoff added: "Our aim will be to cover some key skills like balance and control, help get young people familiar with the board and how it reacts. From there, we can get moving and get down a couple of ramps.
"If our students are feeling brave, we'll finish with some tricks. The Pancake Flip is a classic, and some may want to try The Ollie! This is the building block to all the tricks you'll see the professionals do at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"Whilst we are there, we will also introduce the concept of park etiquette. These are the unspoken, unwritten rules of the skate park. This will help the skaters, and their parents, understand a bit more
about how they can use the park safely, especially when it's busy and taking things like BMX'ers and scooter riders into consideration too."
The pair say they hope to foster a community from the sessions.
Geoff added: "The free lessons are for everyone and anyone. Although focused on young people, we welcome rad dads and mums to join in, even if just for a couple of the basic tricks. It can really help you understand how hard it is and appreciate what your own kids and others are going through.
"We'd also encourage parents to talk whilst the coaching is on. We find quite often that there's a lot of interest in skateboarding but no one knows where to start.
"We have had families living on the same street sign up who didn't know each other wanted to skate and friendships have grown from that - or kids who turn up from the same school, but also didn't know they shared a similar interest. So that's always really lovely to see as it means the young people, and nervous parents, don't have to go through the experience on their own. They've got their own little skate squad."
Sign up in Butters Skate Shop or email hello@buttersskateshop.co.uk
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