A man and his friends are working so that other can avoid losing "a lot of skin and teeth" like they did.
Ben Lewis, a BMX enthusiast for most of his life, wants to repair an abandoned skate park to allow others to take up the hobby without the injuries. The 38-year-old is attempting to revive Edge Lane skate park, after it has fallen into disrepair, while he is injured from riding.
Ben told the ECHO : "Giving time and effort to provide somewhere people can go and express themselves on bikes, skateboards, whatever. When I was a kid there was only one indoor skatepark within an hour drive "Rampworx" started by guys whose sons rollerbladed.
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“They wanted to give them all they could. I want to do the same here". Ben is helped by Danny Gallagher, Neil Carrol, and Jay Kay and volunteers, too many to name.
He added: "I'm trying to get local kids to ride bikes using spare parts donated from groups, my friends and local bike shops like Picton Cycles and Used Bicycles UK. If I find a way to do something to help someone or build/design a ramp to help kids learn a trick, then that's what we’re there for".
Getting a BMX aged 12, Ben would go several times a week and has rode for over 26 years, 20 of them professionally touring the world. He said: "I first went to the bowl, on roller skates, when it still had metal ramps, but only once”.
They used markers to avoid holes, due to disrepair, since it was built around 1979. Ben said: "We would avoid the holes, it cost us a lot of skin and teeth”.
He looked up to local riders, and said: "For overall inspiration a guy nicknamed Butcher from Pennsylvania U.S.A didn't think like a normal rider. He would invent tricks, he really pushed the boundaries and is still riding now".
Aged 28, Ben toured Japan and also travelled to the USA, Russia and other places. Ben said: "Japan; my biggest eye opener and expanded my mind beyond what I thought it was capable of. We went to a Ninja training camp and a bamboo shrine that was from the set from the "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" film.
“It was brilliant to get lost in a new city and never know what gem would be round each corner. We went back to Tokyo on the bullet train and explored the city ourselves to film a video”.
The ECHO previously reported on Ben's fundraising, he said: "We used our own labour to clean the bowl, its been 18 weeks. We put in about £600 before we realised we wouldn't get anywhere. We got a grant from "Love Wavertree CIC" to help us continue. Eternally grateful to everyone who has helped.
“We’re £400 shy of our goal of £3,000. This will be enough to restore the bowl, as best possible and hopefully the surface on the top. The remaining money is towards painting and trying to build new modern obstacles.
"Local residents love it and say the park has changed so much, they would never walk through till we started. There will also always be a new target and a new idea to build. I think it will be forever evolving by working with as many people as possible”.
To support visit their Instagram: @edge_lane_bowl or donate at: gofund.me/4f320dfd
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