We are working to improve the public perception of skating in the city, consulting with the council to provide more and improve existing skateable places, and we are creating new skateable places ourselves.

We need your help!

1. Become a Cam Skate Member - click here to sign up
2. Donate to the Parkside Skate Plaza fundraiser to help us raise money and show your support
3. Share the word!

1. Parkside Skate Plaza
2. Indoor / Winter Facilities
3. DIY Skateparks

Parkside Skate Plaza

Regenerate the well-located but poorly-equipped Donkey Common Skatepark.

Get involved!

1. Become a Cam Skate Member - click here to sign up
2. Donate to the fundraiser to help us raise money and show your support
3. Share the campaign!

Cam Skate are pushing for this poorly used space to become the skatepark that Cambridge deserves.

Update 05/02/2022: read the latest outline concept document here

This poorly constructed skatepark presents a number of safety issues:

1. Rough tarmac is unpleasant to skate on and makes falls more dangerous
2. The varnished wooden ramps are slippery and cause unexpected falls
3. Bumpy joins between ramp and ground can cause a skateboard or scooter to stop suddenly

Additionally the outdated design makes this one of the most unpopular skateparks in the city:

1. The footprint of the park is too small to allow for more than one person to skate at once
2. The ramps are too big, which makes the unsuitable for beginners, and for a park of this size
3. The current installation looks clunky and dated, presenting an eye-sore

Cam Skate's vision for the space:

1. A complete redesign of the site
2. Create a multi-use space - a public space that accommodates skateboarding, not just a skatepark
3. Encourage street-style skateboarding, which brings a new type of park to the city
4. Plants, trees, and more biodiversity incorporated into the design

We have worked with Betongpark, landscape architects and skatepark designers, to produce an initial design proposal.

Click here to download Betongpark's Donkey Common Skatepark Design Report.

This design proposal intentionally does not reflect the common image of a skatepark and leaves the space open for interpretation. It removes the unnecessary separation of skateboarding and the rest of public life and opens sightlines blocked by the existing ramps. The development would enliven an abandoned space right in the centre of Cambridge and bring additional footfall to Mill Road.

Update 05/02/2022

We have refined this initial design after taking feedback on board, retaining more green space in the area and including additional tree planting.

Click here to read Cam Skate's latest Outline Concept Document (05/02/2022) which is designed to assist with planning, and set out the scope and aspiration of the project.

Show your support by joining Cam Skate to show the council that this project is worth pursuing.

Proposal: Car Park Skatepark

Provide a skateable place in Cambridge that can be used over winter.

Car parks are already a Cambridge skater's only option during winter due to early nights and wet parks. What is it that makes them great for skating?

1. Already feature lights.
2. Protected from the rain.
3. Plenty of space and smooth concrete.
4. Covered, but still outdoor with airflow which is safer in a pandemic.

Coronavirus and the general decline of in-person shopping makes repurposing these areas a good use of existing resources. We propose a trial of using this space as a temporary skatepark over winter.

60 parking spaces would be more than enough room for this. According to a Cam Skate FOI request, there were only 4 days in the last >2 years (774 days) where the Grafton East car park had less than 60 spaces available. 200 spaces? 40 days. We have the space to do this.

Click here to download our report explaining the benefits and implementation in more detail.

Show your support by joining Cam Skate to show the council that this project is worth pursuing.

DIY Skateparks

Cam Skate formed out of the fight to save DIY skateparks built on neglected land. An open letter to the University defended the existence of the park and offered a way that the skaters and land owners could move forward together.

Unfortunately we were unable to save either site from eviction and demolition.

You can still read the petition which reached over 1100 signatures, and join Cam Skate to support our future endeavours.