Malmesbury Abbey's Skate Festival
#TBT to the Malmesbury Abbey Skate Festival which culminated in amazing success.
For the 12th year running the annual Malmesbury Abbey Skate Festival proved to be a huge success over the February half-term holidays. The Abbey is around 850 years old and one of the key landmarks in Wiltshire, yet for three days each year this fantastic building turns into what we believe is the world's oldest skate Park!
The initiative is a joint partnership between Malmesbury Abbey, Christian Surfers UK (Owners of the Skatepark ), and Christian Skaters UK all of which work together to put on an event which this year saw around 600 youngsters use the skate Park built inside this historic building.
The idea originally emerged out of conversations between the Abbey leadership, local skateboarders and Christian Skaters UK, and after an initial call with head of Christian Surfers and Skaters Phil Williams they launched the first event to huge media interest. Even now the interest across the UK continues to be very high, and this year there were at several press articles and photographers following the event.
One of the key phrases which CS leader Phil Williams often uses is ‘Working together, achieving more’ and this is a fantastic example of that concept, neither the Abbey, nor Christian Surfers/Skaters could organise this on their own. The Malmesbury Abbey team offer fantastic hospitality to those visiting the Abbey year-round, and this continues during the event, with the cafe and other entertainment laid on to keep the old and young entertained.
Christian Surfers UK brought a team of around 10 volunteers who gave up their time for three days, to work hard and to break down preconceived ideas about what Christianity is all about. Each year the feedback continues to be very positive, even from those who are visiting the Abbey and can't quite believe that they are entering into a skate park.
The event culminated on Friday evening with a skateboard and scooter contest, starting with the under-eights and moving up through to the open categories. The Abbey was packed with the contestants as well as friends, mums and dads, parents and guardians, and the slickly run event closes with the presentation awards, prizes, and trophies, and one of the team, through an interview, sharing their faith to the hundreds of spectators.
The event complemented the work that goes on throughout the year at the Abbey, and many skaters and other park users made steps towards faith in a God who loves skateboarders and scooter riders as much as anybody else.
Plans are already underway for the 2021 event which will be held from Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th February 2021. Always stoked to receive some really encouraging feedback from those attending.
Once again a fantastic event, for which we give God the glory for the partnership that has blossomed over these years, seeing youngsters and their families making steps towards faith in an amazing God.
‘Working together, achieving more’.