“A huge twist of fate…”

You are still running Skateboard School for the kids; could you tell us a bit more about it?

This was a huge twist of fate all together. After our second year at the Gallery the powers that be saw how popular we were becoming and decided that we were all of a sudden not artist! Our tenancy was not renewed, and in effect we were homeless!

However Nottingham City Council had been following our antics and approached me to see if I would like to take my idea a step further, and they offered me access to all the Cities indoor sports hall in return for setting up legitimate skateboard schools to get as many young folk as possible involved in physical activity, result.

This has now been running for 2 years and we are proud to have opened 4 of our very own skate schools and now have over 300 students whom we teach on a weekly basis.

Perhaps the most impressive side-line that you guys have taken is the Skateboarding tuition actually in schools! How did this came about?

I keep myself as positive as I can and believe that everything happens for a reason so it was only a matter of time until skateboarding was to gain its rightful place in mainstream education. We have been touring schools for well over a year doing workshops and demo’s to promote nise, and have recently been running after school skate sessions for some of the secondary schools in Nottingham.

This has led to massive demand, and as of September we will be delivering skateboarding in several secondary schools as an alternative to conventional sports. Sort of a PE teaching exercise but instead of plimsolls and gym shorts, its Chukka lows and kick flips.

I mean for me personally it is amazing to see something I have been doing for 17 years begin to open up different opportunities to me, but it also allows nise to try and sway the hoodlum youth of today from becoming plastic gangsters and start the process of becoming a skater, the revolution has begun!

I mean to us that’s what it is all about getting as many people involved with skateboarding as physically possible, to allow the scene to continue to grow.

 

[ Right: Some NISE product shown off by team riders, Richie Mann and 'Socks']