Jun 24, 20222 min read

Rollersnakes Day Trip 2: Bournbrook DIY

Dave Davies - frontside heelflip.

Text and photography - Michael Wright.

Considering Bournbrook, the UK’s first and only (so far) council recognised legit DIY skatepark, is only 45 miles away from Derby, it would be rude not to make it the location of our second 'Snakes Day Trip. Make the calls, round up a crew of the usual suspects, some cool locals and a few special guests, and it’s on.

Somehow, even though Bournbrook is only the other side of Brum city centre, most of the Rollersnakes locals hadn’t been there before, so meeting up with 'Snakes team rider Alice Smith and badass Brummy photog/Sabbath Wheels honcho Rob Whiston was an easy choice.

The spot was transformed from a run down and neglected concrete play area during the first lockdown to one of the most accessible and well thought out DIY spaces in the country, by the Birmingham Skate Spaces mob - it’s a real achievement, and one that the rest of the country can use as leverage with less forward thinking councils to get their own projects running.

Freya Brooks - frontside smith.

Anyway… skateboarding went down in the sun, we all had a real nice time & Toby got sunburnt. By the time I got there to take below average photos, the session was already heating up for Toby and Forde’s lenses; ‘Snakes shop team guys Ben Plumb and Shaun Hancock love a concrete quarter so were getting in on it straight away. We’d also managed to get Ipswich’s finest ATVs Dave Davies and John Howlett over for the day - what a pleasure to watch! I could write a list of stunts, but that’s a pretty dry read - watch the video instead to see the likes of Nick Roberts, Beth Howells, Tom Carr, OG, Freya Brooks and Dan Smith gettin' some.