Material Supplied for New Skatepark at Les Quennevais

“Supplying a skatepark isn’t an everyday occurrence”, explains Richard Diegan, Technical Sales Manager for Granite Products, “so we were delighted when civil engineering contractors, Brenwal, asked us to supply material for the construction of the new Les Quennevais 2,000 square metre skatepark.”

The new venue is a £1.9m pound investment by the Government of Jersey, and was completed at the start of 2023. It features a bowl, rails, benches, ledges, and platforms and caters for a range of abilities, from those starting out to more veteran skateboarders and BMXers.

The opening of the park on Saturday 4th February saw hundreds turnout to try the facility, and with an increasing interest into urban sports on the Island, the addition has been warmly welcomed by locals.

Skateboarding has had a revival with the younger generation, recently debuting as an Olympic sport, and Team GB choosing Les Quennevais as one of the training parks to be used in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, there’s hope that the skatepark could foster a future British athlete.

Senator Steve Pallet, who previously worked on the project, commented: "for young people starting out on their journey with skateboarding, all the way through to the more experienced skateboarders that have been looking for something to challenge them for a long period of time

“there are some elements of you need to be a bit more skilled to handle, but that's the whole idea I think - to push skateboarding, to really see what standard and quality of skateboarders we've got on the island."

Adding, “I think it's right that we've got a facility that we could possibly have somebody in future actually representing GB, and that would be the aim I think".

Approximately 1000m3 of concrete was supplied from the Granite Products Gigoulande Quarry at St Peter’s Valley, of which 500m3 used was coloured concrete. By working closely with colour-mix manufacturer PICSUK and supplier Hatcrete, the desired concrete colour was able to be achieved, helping to give the skatepark its final look.

Lucy Stephenson, Minister of sport for the Island commented that children and adults were already enjoying the new skatepark, "getting out and about in the fresh air and being active, it's brilliant".