The island’s only indoor skateboard park officially opened its doors over the weekend.

The Shred House in Tromode is the brainchild of Calvin Fayle,Mikey Westcott and Darren Burgess who set about constructing more than 400 square foot of riding space.

The grand opening day on Saturday saw refreshments provided by the Train Smokers and live music from Spaghetti and the Hoops.

Calvin said the opening day had been ’brilliant’, adding: ’We had about 170 riders in over the day and about 200 people in overall.’

Calvin said that there is a need for an indoor skate park as the weather on the island can impact on the chances that skaters and BMX bikers get to go out.

He said that they had tried to get a similar venture off the ground some years ago but it failed to become a reality.

But Calvin said attitudes towards the sports have changed.

BMX racing is an Olympic event and skateboarding is due to make its debut at Tokyo 2020.

He said this has swept away ’some of the stigma’ around the sports.

Calvin added: ’With them being Olympic sports, they are being taken more seriously, and so they should. Some of the tricks people can do are incredible.’

Determined to cater for as many people as possible, the riding space has been designed for skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters.

To provide for as many specialities as possible, the business is running sessions which includes open sessions to any sport and others which are only for a certain discipline, for example BMX bikes and some sessions with be for under 10-year-olds.

The skate park is open on weeknights, including until 11pm on Friday. And it is open during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday.

The Shred House operates a membership scheme and is open to walk-ins. It’s located at Unit 3 Clucas Estate in Carrs Road, Tromode.