By Jill Stocks
A good crowd, two legged and four legged, enjoyed unexpectedly good weather last weekend at the Horsforth skatepark fundraiser.
The event included stalls, pet welfare checks, a skate jam demonstrating the latest ramp addition to the skatepark and a dog show where the real stars of the show shone, all to raise funds for a dog charity.
Connie Gascoyne is a skateboarder and a newly qualified vet. As part of the company Short Straw she helped to organise the event.
Connie said: “Before becoming a vet I was a skateboarder full time and all my friends are skateboarders. We’ve been running loads of community events within the skateboarding community with young people and families and recently me and my friend adopted dogs from a really small dog rescue based in Bulgaria, Helen’s House of Hope.
“They do amazing work and we thought we’d put our skills to a different use and today we’ve thrown a fundraiser to raise money for Helen’s House of Hope.
“It’s a really small dog rescue run by one woman and she rehomes abused, neglected or injured dogs and they’re rehomed all across Europe and every penny means a lot to them. It’s all off of her own back and every penny we raise today will go directly to the dogs, to find them homes and for their veterinary care.
“Short Straw is our little company we set up a while ago which is a skateboarding company that does events and we produce product and just try and create a space for people to get involved and it’s a bit of fun and we try and be really inclusive people of all different backgrounds, ages, genders and it’s kind of grown into more than what we set out to be.
“Izzy Almond, my friend, she’s the owner of Elmo the dog who she rescued from Helen’s House of Hope and she’s the owner of the company and they’re doing more than skateboarding these days as you can see by this event.”
The dog show was the highlight of the day for many with plenty of pooches taking part in categories to suit dogs of all shapes and sizes with categories including waggiest tail and best owner and dog look alike.
Fraser Doughty is from Friends of Horsforth Skatepark, a sub group of Friends of Horsforth Hall Park, said: “We’re just thankful that people have turned up, people from Horsforth have really reacted very positively not just to what we’re doing with the skatepark but what the skatepark can add. That means being able to do events like this and raising money for charities.
“It’s not just about us it’s about everyone from the area. We wouldn’t be able to do it without everyone just turning up and getting involved. And the dogs. That’s the most important part!”
The event itself is volunteer-led but they have also been grateful for company sponsorship to support their work. Fraser said: “We’ve had some really great sponsors for this event. We’ve had new balance who’ve always been really supportive of this event in Horsforth every year and as part of that we’ve had Canvas skateparks who’ve come down to install something for the skatepark today so we’ve got so much going on. It’s very powerful. There’s so much energy going into it.”
The new installation by Canvas is a welcome addition to the skatepark, which is very highly regarded in the skateboarding community.
“We’ve just got an American style kerb that’s been put in,” Fraser added. “They’re a super accessible space to learn skateboarding. It’s a really small obstacle.”
“And that’s what we’re all about with the new skatepark builds, we’re trying to recreate smaller accessible skateboarding so people who want to use the skate park whether they want to scooter or roller skate or bike or skateboard they don’t have to skate the big pool or bowl; here’s a small skatepark here that’s had a new quarter pipe built, a new spine and now a new kerb that’s all been donated through fundraising, Sport England, and Canvas.”
Canvas Spaces specialise in concrete skatepark design and construction, and the new ramp they installed was showcased as part of the skate jam.
Chandon Gallagher is from Canvas Spaces. He said: “Canvas Spaces partnered with Welcome Skate Store and Friends of Horsforth Skatepark to install a bespoke slappy curb at Horsforth Skatepark. The installation of the new curb celebrated with a special jam session (as part of the Short Straw Dog Charity Fun Day). It was a great time for everyone involved, and many prizes were given out.”
Helen’s House of Hope is a dog rescue charity based in North West Bulgaria which was started by Helen James in 2015. It provides sanctuary, care and eventual rehoming in many cases for dogs who are homeless or have been abused or maltreated.
Helen says the funds raised are very much appreciated and will be put to good use: “A massive thanks for everyone’s kind support and it makes a huge difference to the dogs lives who are still waiting for they happy ever after.”
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