Group on a roll after £4k recycling boost
iendships, i bringing together people who wh otherwise might never have met. “From the outside, I may look like I ave a nothing in common with the kids f Palestine. I don’t share their religion, olour or culture but stick me on a skateoard and they want to hang out all day. “Skateboarding isn’t hierarchical – it oesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a rofessional, a child or an adult, which is ery important in a land where winners nd losers are clearly defined.” The former Edinburgh Academy pupil dded: “At least 50 kids attend the daily workshops and at weekends there are undreds – and a lot of them are girls. “We thought it was going to be hard to ersuade a conservative Musl im ommunity that the sport was for girls oo but parents have embraced it. “More than 40 per cent of our volunteers re female and families trust us with their SkatePal have been given a £4000 boost thanks to an exhibition run by Glasgowbased company Re:ply, who recycle and repaint old skateboards.
Danny Aubrey, 25, owner of Re:ply, invited a team of 50 artists, graphic designers, printmakers and photographers to make their own skateboard for the show to raise money for the charity.
The exhibition – re:deckorate – was held last month in Bar Gandolfi in Merchant City and drew crowds from around Scotland eager to buy the creative and upcycled boards.
Danny, who has been skating since he was 15, said: “I wanted to work with SkatePal because they promote freedom, community and empowerment in their ethos, similar to what we believe in at re:ply.”
Charlie said: “The £4000 is the biggest single donation we’ve had and it will be put to good use.” have been donated by skaterss in Scotland. Charlie explained:lid “ThThere isi a lotlt off red d tape, which makes importing boards to Palestine difficult, so we rely a lot on skateboards our volunteers bring out.
“The Edinburgh Skate Shop are a massive supporter. The owner is on our board of trustees and he has a place at the back of his store where skaters can donate their old boards for the kids.”
SkatePal has become a full-time job for Charlie and he is looking at setting up projects in other troubled countries.
He added: “SkatePal in Palestine has grown so big, I’m able to take more of a back seat in the practical hands-on sense, leaving me free to explore establishing similar set-ups in other places.
“There are lots of nations with huge refugee populations and skateboarding has the power to help them and transcend the barriers they are facing.”