East End Park to host skating event with Route One Edinburgh

The Norrie McCathie stand concourse will become a functioning skate park for the day, using portable ramps and obstacles provided by Nike SB.

Kids who are interested in skating will be able to attend free skate lessons under qualified Skateboard GB coaches before a competition with prizes on offer.

The event has been organised by Route One Edinburgh and is in support of a project to upgrade Dunfermline's skate park.

It follows the annual Dunfermline Skate Park Jam last weekend.

The event has been organised following the success of the Dunfermline Skatepark Jam. (Image: Contributed)

Skaters travelled from far and wide to join in and one parent of a young beginner told organisers: “Harvey loved it and is constantly asking us to go skating now.”

Rory Fell is the assistant manager at Route One and founded the Boards for Bairns charity, which provides skateboards for young people who may not otherwise be able to afford their own.

He said: "I am a Dunfermline fan and when I am at a game - going for a pie or something - I look at the floor and think this would be a perfect place to skate.

"There will be pop-up ramps and lessons, and we have got instructors who have got certifications and are coming from Glasgow, Edinburgh and across Fife."

Rory is also part of the movement to modernise Dunfermline's skate park which he says has been "left to rot".

He told the Press: "We are sitting at £115,000 and that is how much has been raised so far.

"We are looking at a park which will probably cost £300,000, so we are getting there bit by bit.

"To get funding they want us to show the demand for the park.

"The park just now is a safety hazard, where once there was a community, now people will travel elsewhere. Dunfermline has been left to rot.

"You don't see massive use so we are trying to highlight that there is a demand there. If we were to have a facility up to standard it would be great for everybody."

Rory won the Young Enterprise of the Year award at the Dunfermline Press and Central Fife Times Community Champion Awards earlier this year for his involvement with Boards for Bairns. 

He expects work to start on the new park next year and is hoping that the event at East End Park will encourage more people to get involved from skating.

From there he will use Boards for Bairns to provide equipment for kids who are interested but can't afford boards themselves.

Lessons at East End Park begin at 10am on Saturday, September 16.

Anyone interested can sign up on the day or register online or by visiting @dunfyparkmovement on Instagram.