Colin at Rampworx, late 90s, shot by Leo Sharp.
Pete Rogers and Neil Danns, two highly lauded veterans of the Liverpool and U.K skate scene, sit on a bench overlooking a lake, deflated and stunned. ‘’We weren’t expecting to be sitting here in 2023, in Sefton Park, completely shocked at the passing of Colin Heyes, our longstanding friend”.
"We first stumbled across Colin at the infamous Edge Lane skatepark in 1979, and at that time there was only a handful of skateboarders trying to keep it alive… we became close friends and started our journey together."
Neil fondly expands on this first meeting. “The posh speaking Rasta Scouser with these dodgy rats tails he called dreadlocks, his first words to us were ‘wa-gwan’ in that unmistakeable posh Scouse accent… as you can imagine, he made a big impression on us."
From that point on, Colin became part of what was known at that time as The Liverpool Crew, travelling from place to place, town to town, city to city, on the search for the best spots, the heaviest session and the usual mischief along the way, something in which Colin was always keen.
Pete continues, ‘’Colin had an unmistakable style on a skateboard; it was like he had left the coat hanger inside his t-shirt, which was a source of great amusement for us all. But I think most skaters who had the pleasure of seeing him skate will be left with the memory of his amazing and unrelenting 50-50s, and 5-0 grinds at 100mph.’’
Colin had this special gift of being able to endear himself with anybody he came into contact with during his lifetime; he was loved and respected by all of the past and present generations of skateboarders from Liverpool and well beyond. Colin had a good heart, sometimes misrepresented, but a heart full of love all the same. He will be missed and always be remembered with gratitude as one of the foremost innovators of the early scene.
Words: Stephen 'Kingy' King.
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