Words and photos by Robin Pearson

A little while ago I recall seeing some good-looking skatepark designs pop up on Facebook with AREA 25 written on them. I remember thinking that the place looked like a sweet design, perfect for flowing around and cruising transfers. A big box and spine section, some nice big steep quarter pipes, a little rhythm section, it all looked very promising. Then I saw some photos of the park being built and noticed quite a lot of hype about it online – people were really buzzing on it. After all that I found out it was being built in Ipswich, which seemed close enough and Southern enough for me to get excited about it too. So a few weeks after it opened I went to check it out. You know it’s fresh when you show up and the place is still super clean, the air is filled with the smell of new timber, and the locals are pushing themselves to find all the lines. I went on a bike night and saw a few guys sending big transfers, some dudes getting a bit more tech, and Joe Embrey going absolutely massive.