WEBLINKS
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 |  | Report by Faye Claridge, web producer
In the first meeting of its kind, around 100 skaters in Coventry formed an unofficial skater鈥檚 council.
They gathered to talk about what skate facilities they want in Coventry, and size and safety were high on the agenda.
| 听 |  | Skaters and flip charts getting together for the good of Coventry
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It was very strange to see groups of skaters sitting around flip charts, some in pads and socks (inlines left at the door), but that just shows the stereotype these skaters are trying to fight.
They鈥檙e not hooligans, they don鈥檛 want to trash city streets or scare pedestrians, but they do want safe, challenging places to skate.
That鈥檚 why they got together.
听Shaping the future of skating
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See for yourself the range of people 鈥 and the serious way most of them got on with the meeting and the skate session afterwards 鈥 by clicking the images button below.
These are the people shouting out to shape the future of skating in Coventry.
Read on to find out how you can have your say and get involved.
听| 听 |  | Brendan Malone of Zero-G discussing the issues with Inspector Phil Healey
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The meeting was called by Tony Skipper from Coventry City Council.
He told me he was getting so many letters and phone calls about skating 鈥 from skaters wanting better facilities and from non-skaters complaining about noise or damage 鈥 that he thought a get-together would help everyone.
The meeting successfully brought together skaters, BMXers, inliners - with ages ranging from 7 up to adults 鈥 along with parents, the police, councillors, youth workers and city management representatives.
听To please all sides, the council wants to get skaters away from the city centre streets and is prepared to spend some money to do it.
They are especially worried about the damage being caused to Millennium Place (described with a smile as 鈥渁 拢5.5 million skate park鈥 by one of the skaters).
听There are three main options at the moment:
鈥 Extend Zero-G skatepark (currently an indoor facility but could extend outdoors)
鈥 Make a large outdoor city centre skatepark under the ring road
鈥 Make smaller outdoor skateparks at sites on the edge of the city centre
| 听 |  | Zero-G's youngester skater, Jay, with his father
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Size and safety were the biggest issues in thinking about all of these.
The parents I spoke to (with children as young as 7) were very worried about safety in a city centre site, because of non-skaters or intimidation by older or better skaters.
For example, Lynne Proud said: 鈥淜ids would skate through to a city centre park from wherever their busses drop them, even if they鈥檙e not allowed to. Then they鈥檇 get into trouble and would get bad reputations again.
鈥淚鈥檓 worried about the decision because my son, Jay, really lives for his Saturday鈥檚 down here [Zero-G]. He loves it because it鈥檚 safe and it鈥檚 a really friendly environment. Because he鈥檚 so small other kids don鈥檛 always let him on at the outdoor parks.
Paul O鈥橞rien, aged 11, added: 鈥淎 city centre park would get druggies down there and then we wouldn鈥檛 be allowed to go. And older kids would take the mick and younger kids wouldn鈥檛 get a fair chance.鈥
听| 听 |  | One of the skaters getting his views down on paper
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Transport was also high on the agenda. The meeting was help at Zero-G so of course everyone there was relatively local, but everyone realised there are lots of other skaters from other parts of Coventry that might struggle to get to Foleshill.
Follow this link to find out about Zero-G.
Lynne Proud came up with one of the night鈥檚 many ideas: 鈥淎 free bus from the city centre to Zero-G would be a solution, because then skaters from all over Coventry could come here.鈥
Even this had some of the skaters worried though. As the skate session after the meeting proved, the current skatepark at Zero-G just isn鈥檛 big enough.
Everyone at the meeting had a lot of good things to say about the park, but with 100 skaters in at once, they鈥檙e having to wait their turn, they鈥檙e getting in each other鈥檚 way and it鈥檚 just not as good as it could be.
听If you missed the meeting, it鈥檚 not too late to get involved. Send us your views on what Coventry needs for skaters and we鈥檒l pass these on to the councillors involved.
Just email us at coventry@bbc.co.uk.
Alternatively, put pen to paper and write directly to:
Councillor Tony Skipper
Culture and Leisure
Spire House
New Union Street
Coventry
CV1 2PS
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