Rad edit from the Krooked tour of the UK last year with a generous sprinkling of Birmingham goodness.

Thanks Alan!

Fastlands has long been a safe haven for skateboarding in the city. When the pickings were good and there were spots a plenty it was always the last resort for a dry skate with no hassles. With the recent skate friendly improvements, extensive resurfacing and continued authority blindspot status Fastlands has become a go to spot.

A number of events have been held there in the past, most notably the No Comply Network jam in 2017 but its got to be said that the Black Mass event this weekend raised all the bars. Slap Ramps added a healthy vertical vector, Heathen Euro-gapped the nine which also has a rail re-situated to make it skateable. Much destruction occurred finishing with the double set as darkness fell. Big shout outs to Marcus Palmer and Will who literally smashed themselves to bits to abate the baying crowd.

If you missed it, you missed out.

Huge thanks to 

@sabbathwheels

@heathenskateboards

@redbulluk 

Bournbrook doesn't need an introduction round these parts but just in case you are passing through then here's a little background. Bournbrook Rec was a very [wilfully] neglected park in the transient student neighbourhood of Selly Oak. In a city that is underserved in youth spaces and skateparks in particular we were always on the lookout for places to skate. What initially drew our attention to Bournbrook were the brick banks at the bottom but Shaun and Matt spotted an overgrown mini bowling green and set to work clearing it of brambles, litter and paraphernalia. Within days there was a block in the centre and it was started. It didn't take long before thoughts were directed to how to make the space work and thankfully we had concrete craftsman Hem close to hand. Having built skateparks and DIYs he was keen to get involved. We managed to raise money for the initial materials and a crew was formed to take care of the builds. Over the last few years a lot of folks have got involved and lent a hand to make this place what it is now. With much sadness we lost Hem but Bournbrook lives on as his legacy.

Jamie put together this Bournbrook edit together featuring locals, friends and visitors. 

Enjoy.

The second part to the latest Baker video release is owned by Tyson and TFunk. If you haven't seen the China Banks ender yet then strap yourself in for an era defining manoeuvre.

It's an honour to be included in the DLX Sketchy Skate Shop programme for SSD and get Ideal artwork from Todd Francis. We have had the limit of 50 decks made to celebrate the day so if you want to get your hands on one then act fast.

Bournbrook Rec needs your help.

The recreation ground that the skatepark is situated in has been earmarked for development by local councillors and over the last 10 years they have been working on a concept to build a number dwellings on this valuable green space. The current plan is to partner up with Aldi who want to modernise their store by taking a portion of the existing park and the rest being used for 10 residential units. So we are facing the loss of a vital urban park that has been very well used over the last two years to extend a supermarket and build 10 homes. This is a green space that will be lost to the local community forever when there is no shortage of development land nearby.

There has been little local consultation, especially recently where the use of the park has changed during lockdown so please make your thoughts known here. 

Keep it reasoned and civil but make sure that the powers that be recognise that the park should stay and be improved upon. 

 Main application here.

If you missed the Chocolate Bunny Hop premiere at the Mockingbird cinema then you missed out on the big screen and heightened audio but we have a download link for you so you can see the steez of Carl Aikens, the speed of Vincent Alvarez, the gnar of Stevie Perez, the preciseness of Eric Herrera, the tech of Jesus Fernadez, the beauty of Kenny Anderson and the freshness of Jordan Trahan and James Capps. The video is rad.

Remember the date.

Wednesday 22nd September 2021.

This is the day that the fences came down on Bournbrook DIY, the day that Birmingham got its newest skateboard facility officially recognised and the first skateboard DIY in the country to be sanctioned by local government. From very humble beginnings to a thriving community project, Bournbrook has changed the landscape in Birmingham and we couldn't be more proud of everyone involved. A big thanks goes out to everyone who pitched in and helped to make it happen with special gratitude to James Hemming.

Without his expertise, energy and enthusiasm this would have remained a dream. 

We miss you James.

Kings Norton skatepark is one of the best used skate facilities in Birmingham and has been providing a safe environment to skateboard and socialise for the last 15+ years. Being so well used, the facility needs some attention and would benefit from extension with the increased use that was seen over summer 2020.

Please lend your voice to support the cause by signing the petition linked below.

Lets work together to make Birmingham skateboarding better.

Sign here.

It's been a long five years that we have been without a nationwide skateboard magazine. Filling the gap left by Sidewalk looked impossible as new media was reaching full speed and print was looking almost irrelevant. Why wait for something to happen when you can swipe it up on a device within seconds? Thankfully we have finally got something tangible in the form of The Skateboarders Companion that will showcase UK skateboarding on the shelves of newsagents nationwide and offer 3D documentation to to hold and keep of what goes on in the UK.

First issue has hit the shops, selling out within days. We will always get 20 copies but if you want to guarantee your issue then get a subscription and support the supporters!

Things are happening in Selly Oak. Hoping to get stage one of a decent DIY set up over the summer. We have been getting money together via the Fastlands T's for materials and tools [available via the shop when we reopen] but It's going to take some graft so check @bournbrookdiy for details and get involved. All help appreciated.

The new Chocolate Chunk on Chunk series has arrived! We have boards sized from 7.75" through 8.5"....click the pic to take a look!