Some skateparks appear almost overnight. Wigmore wasn't one of them.

The new park at Wigmore Valley Park in Luton was, in the truest sense, years in the making — close to a decade from the first community request to the first roll on fresh concrete. Its predecessor was a local favourite, but time and wear had caught up with it. What's taken its place is far more ambitious: a multi-discipline space for skaters, BMX riders and scooter riders of every ability, weaving a mini ramp, a snake run pumptrack and a central plaza into one facility that flows together when it's quiet and splits into independent zones when it's packed.

But Wigmore is as much a story about people as it is about concrete. The campaign to replace the ageing park was led by local skater Kiersten Gaughan, who'd been travelling further afield with her younger brother Sonny just to find somewhere decent to ride. When the park finally opened with a packed-out jam, she got to session her hometown park at last — alongside hundreds of riders sharing what the space meant to them.

We sent some questions to Sam Reynolds of Maverick Skateparks, the team behind the build, to talk through the ten-year journey, the design thinking that makes the park work for everyone at once, and where UK skatepark design heads next.

Wigmore Skatepark was described as "years in the works." Can you tell us about the journey from the initial community request to breaking ground — and what made this project special for the Maverick team?

We have been working with the community and the team at Luton Rising on the delivery of a new skatepark in Wigmore Valley Park for close to ten years. The previous skatepark was well-loved by the locals but had come to the end of its serviceable life. It was important to us to provide the riding community with an exciting, modern space where the new generation can learn while also challenging the current users.

Wigmore features both a skatepark and a pumptrack, making it multi-discipline. How did you approach the design to make it work for skaters, BMX riders and scooters of all abilities, while keeping it exciting for more experienced riders?

Our design includes a comprehensive variety of features to serve the needs of skateboarders, BMX and scooter riders of all abilities and ages. The facility is split into three seemingly separate yet joined up spaces, the mini ramp, the snake run pumptrack, and at the heart of the facility, a plaza. All routes around the skatepark are designed to link up when the facility is quiet, conversely, they can be used as separate, independent areas when the park is busy. Subtly segregating the space into different zones enables larger numbers of people to use the space at the same time, safely. This is a spacious, open design which gives riders the luxury of being able to roll through the park without the worry of collisions.

What does a typical Maverick build process look like on the ground, and were there any particular challenges or highlights with this one?

The build process is a balance of precision and adaptability. Wigmore’s build programme was an 18-week construction period covering engineered setting out, drainage and groundworks, concrete construction, RoSPA inspection and final handover.

The main challenge at Wigmore was the existing services running through the site, and a complex drainage strategy. The team work from detailed construction drawings, but every level and dimension is checked on site with daily progress reports. Quality control is always a big part of the build.

The opening jam looked like a proper celebration. What does it mean to the Maverick team to see a community finally get to ride something they've been waiting years for?

Local skater Kiersten Gaughan led the campaign to improve the Wigmore Valley Skatepark because she was forced to travel further afield with her younger brother Sonny to find adequate facilities. It was a real highlight at the opening to see Kiersten finally skate the new park in her hometown, alongside the hundreds of riders telling their stories about what this space means to them.

Maverick has built incredible parks all across the UK. Are there any upcoming projects you can share with the Trucks and Fins community, and what's your vision for the future of concrete skateparks in the UK?

We are currently working across three sites in Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Devon to bring you new spaces to session over the summer holidays.

We hope to continue our work to push the boundaries of UK skatepark design by moving beyond basic youth provision to long-term, inclusive, community-centred public spaces. Not just a set of ramps, but durable civic infrastructure that supports all wheeled disciplines, creativity, social connection, accessibility and local identity.