“I see more of the city and from a different perspective.”
George has been skateboarding since he was 9 years old and uses it to get around everywhere from the local shops to his friends house, from work to meeting points. For George, it's a faster way of travelling because it covers a lot of ground in a short period of time.
Being active out and about on the skateboard helps you to learn about your surroundings. Being new to Leeds I know a lot more of the city just from being out on my skateboard and getting around to different places on my commute. I see more of the city and from a different perspective, I think you notice more that you wouldn’t necessarily notice if you were in a car.
The number of small positive interactions you have is greatly increased too, you see people’s faces, can see the odd smile and feel that connection with the people around you.
“I can get on a bus, train, taxi with it, it’s convenient.”
I used to cycle when I lived in Warrington but moving to Leeds my skateboard has been a perfect replacement for that for getting around, it’s easy to take with me places, to work, meeting friends, the shops etc.
It definitely helps with physical health. It is hard to find ways to keep yourself moving a lot of the time nowadays. On the days I’m more active I feel noticeably better and you feel like you’ve done something positive with your day.
If I were to give advice about trying skateboarding or getting active to travel, learn somewhere at skateparks and try small journeys. It takes a bit of time for it to make sense, it’s maybe tricky the first few times but gets easier – practice and you’ll get there!
