It's been some time now since Oxford University and City Council fenced off the bits of central Oxford frequented by adventurous skaters. Whilst Oxford has a number of good, designated skateparks, the desirability and scarcity of new land to build on in the city means that they are frequently threatened with development - thereby making the cause of finding/protecting skateparks into a campaigning issue.
Pretty much all you need to know about skating in Oxford, the locations of Oxford's skate parks, current pro-skating campaigns and issues and more can be found on the website of Oxford Wheels Project (OWP) - a volunteer-run registered charity (no. 1063411) established in 1996 with the aim
of providing free skateboarding facilities in Oxford after the council
removed existing facilities without providing alternatives.
OWP has raised over £50,000 to develop and maintain the Meadow Lane skatepark and works to promote wheel sports in general in Oxford - a city with a longstanding connection with skating as a sport, supporting at least two dedicated equipment and clothing shops and having an impressive citywide public gallery of graffiti artwork (some viewable on the OWP website; lots on the Oxford Indymedia website; plenty viewable on the Cowley Road).
Happy skating! Oh - and if you believe that Heaven is a Halfpipe, you may wish to click here.
