Organisers of Cornwall’s surf and music festival, Boardmasters, will donate £50,000 to Newquay’s Concrete Waves Skatepark between now and 2025.

The funds come from the Boardmasters Foundation, the charitable arm of the event that was established in 2017 to give back and support the culture and surrounding communities that are at the heart of the festival which takes place at Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay each year.

Concrete Waves is Newquay's world-class skatepark. Completed in July 2018 to replace the original wooden skatepark called Wooden Waves, Concrete Waves is designed to meet the needs of the action sports community of Newquay and serves as a facility for riders both nationally and internationally. The style of the skatepark is completely unique and it is used daily by members of all ages of the local community.

Last month, Boardmasters announced that more than 38 local Cornish charities, beach clean groups, businesses, children’s hospices, schools, surfing and sporting organisations and community groups are set to benefit from £105,000 raised by the Boardmasters Foundation in 2022.  Boardmasters Foundation will dedicate £16,667 per year between now and 2025, a total of £50,000, to Concrete Waves.

Concrete Waves is managed and maintained by Newquay Town Council.  The Council recently ran a survey amongst users and a number of people felt that whilst it was an amazing space for skilled and technical skaters and riders, the skatepark would benefit from an additional area for a younger demographic to start out, develop their skills and start their journey.

Newquay Town Council is therefore currently working alongside Maverick Industries, the original designers and builders of Concrete Waves, to create a new expansion to the existing park. Playfully called the ‘nursery slope’ this expansion will make the park even more accessible to a wider range of age groups and skill sets and it is this expansion that the Boardmasters Foundation donation will contribute to. 

Boardmasters CEO Andrew Topham met with Newquay Town Councillors Olly Monk, Andy Hannan, Margaret North, Louis Gardner and Kevin Towhill, and a range of the users of the skatepark at Concrete Waves to provide the £50,000 cheque donation.

Andrew Topham says, “Being able to financially contribute to the long-term sustainability of Newquay’s world-class Concrete Waves, and to help build the expanded ‘nursery slope’ area to bring beginners and youngsters into this exciting sport, is incredibly rewarding for all of the hard-working team behind our festival.  Concrete Waves is such a vital resource for the Newquay community and we’re delighted to give back and to see the exceptional skaters and wheelers of all ages making the most of this impressive facility.  Thank you to all at Newquay Town Council who work so hard to keep the skatepark in top notch condition and indeed, to take it to the next level for the surrounding community.”

Councillor Andy Hannan said, “My involvement dates right back to the old Wooden Waves skate park, a well used facility that lasted well beyond its intended life and, although initially its replacement was viewed with mixed feelings, I’m pleased to say that the new Concrete Waves is a fantastic success. With the Boardmasters Foundation support we are able to move onto the next phase in the park’s development, providing a much needed nursery park for our future skateboarders and BMX riders to hone their skills. It will also allow our more experienced users to make the maximum use of the main park, without their usual constraint.”

Other 2022 Boardmasters Foundation recipients include the Schools Consent Project, Wave Women, Black Voices Cornwall, Cornwall Food Action, Watergate Bay Lifesaving Club, Newquay Boardriders and Porth Residents Association.  More recipients will be announced in the coming weeks and months. 

Funds for the Boardmasters Foundation are raised each year at Boardmasters festival. Applications are reviewed against the Foundation’s key pillars of focus - Community, Force for Good and Culture. Groups and organisations who are interested in applying to The Boardmasters Foundation should visit www.boardmasterscommunity.com/boardmasters-foundation where 2023 applications will open soon.