Potentially the shittest news this year. Even shittier than the weather forecasters announcing that we’d be in for all this rain.

The future of Southsea Skatepark is looking uncertain. Portsmouth City Council is preparing to close the park in September of this year unless a suitable plan can be made in conjunction with a private party that would need to take over the lease of the facilities. A private party with the full support of current skatepark users has approached the council and their business plan was rejected due to out-dated views expressed by council members as to the usage and potential user groups associated with the park. The users of the park; skateboarders, BMX and inline have united to form a user group that will hopefully convince the Local and National Government that these facilities are a necessary part of the local community and that the park is unique and an investment in the future of all active members of the public young and old. Please add your support if you use the park, have ever used the park or if you value a genuine piece of British skate and sporting heritage and the right to campaign for adequate sporting and recreational facilities for the present and future.

I’ve got so many good memories from this place, and I was looking foward to making the trip there this year depending on weather. Make sure you sign the official petition here.

A trip to the physio this morning meant that I was diagnosed with a damaged disc in my lower back. Apparently it should heal in ‘about four weeks’, so in the meantime I’m dosing myself up with Ibuprofen and Paracetamol to numb the pain a bit whilst at work. Sitting in cheapo office chairs is apparently one of the worst things that I could be doing though :(

Not much else doing at the minute, unfortunately. Some good gigs coming up soon mind (Dan Sartain, Retisonic, Joe Lally, Trans Am…), which should mean some action on the photography front. Still debating what to do about a portfolio so I’ll probably continue to use Flickr for the time being…

An update, and it’s about time. So in the past couple of months I’ve moved down to London, started a new contract, and joined the gym. Pretty drastic stuff eh. I’ve had a fair bit more luck than my poor ol’ cuz whose having a hell of a time finding somewhere to live. Managed to find somewhere that’s a ten minute walk to work and just a few stops out on the Central Line to central London - score. Rent isn’t too bad either, although it’s still not cheap compared to living life back up Norf.

Not been up to all that much else really apart from seeing Enablers (more on that in a second), working and settling in. Not checked out anywhere to ride yet - Playstation Bay Sixty6 skatepark is more or less down the road (though that could mean a journey of at least an hour here) so I should make an effort - this is probably the longest I’ve been off my bike that’s not attributable to injury actually :(

So I did manage to see Enablers again at an awesome bar in Camden Town called Barfly. I walked into this place and they had Dirty Deeds on the screen, which is one of the greatest BMX videos of all time from back in the mid-nineties. That was followed by an old Wilkerson Airlines video, ‘Life on the Edge’. Unreal. So I watched both of those and then headed upstairs to see TODD and of course Enablers. I snapped off a few photos [ two, three, four, five, six ] although not too many because there were about four other people there at the front, all vying for decent pictures. I managed to take a few keepers so I stood back after that and just enjoyed the show. Enablers are easily one of my favourite bands.

Photography ‘portfolio’ site coming soon, I promise.

Here’s a couple of snaps I took on Sunday of how Central Skatepark in Manchester is coming along. Looks like it’ll be a lot of fun - there’s a couple of good sized mini / midi ramps towards the back and that ditch with a bowled out vert will be interesting to ride. Harry was on about putting some Jersey barrier deal in along one corner as it’d be the perfect transistion leading up to it.

The park is not far off completion and they’re opening officially on the 28th of October. Just as well there’s somewhere new and fairly local to ride, considering Bones Bolton is now shut down and winter is just around the corner…