Skateboarders create their own slice of paradise on wasteland because 'there's no other place to go'

Skaters who say they have been forced out of Manchester city centre have taken matters into their own hands — by building their own park in Ancoats.

The DIY facility is built on the former Central Retail Park and is nicknamed Goose Side — after a family of goslings were found which the skaters cared for. Since starting up three months ago, the community has installed ramps, banks, and obstacles to use.

However, the skaters say they have only set-up shop where they have because there’s ‘no other place to go’. That’s down to the council ‘targeting’ them with a city centre bye-law, according to Patrick O’Donohoe, who is the skaters’ liaison with the community.

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“Everybody is fed up with the council. They don’t bother us here,” O’Donohoe told the Manchester Evening News. “There are two indoor places which are £8 for two hours. Platt Fields has space but the wood can be run down and the screws are sticking out. There’s a park in Trafford, too, but that’s small. 10 people is too many.

“Other parks are built by people with no idea of skating. The council has pushed us out because of the by laws that prohibit wheeled activities — but we are the only ones targeted.”

O’Donohoe added the group began calling Central Retail Park home after other hotspots in town — Lincoln Square and Urbis — became untenable to use. Since then, they have made the former retail park their own.

The 25-year-old support worker continued: “The community have put £200 in, there a skate shop that put £500 in. They helped us buy supplies. We have sourced most of it, and we’ve got the barriers in as an obstacle.

“Red Bull’s skate team