This is Skateboarding by Neil Ellis

Neil Ellis is a lifelong skateboarder who oversees all communication at Skateboard GB. He is involved in many grassroots skateboarding projects around the UK, and he was the Skateboard Media Manager for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

I first picked up a board when I was 14 – a basic skateboard from a department store – after a close friend of mine started skating. The first few weeks were tough, but once I got the ‘feel’ of the wheels under my feet and felt utter euphoria when landing those first ollies and kickflips, I was hooked. One of the first things I did with my board was paint my own design on the bottom, and I feel that elements such as art, fashion and music, which all encapsulate skateboarding culture, is what made it so special to me back then. And it is still very special to me today.

Fast forward 20 years and I was lucky enough to put my passion into action through helping to get skateparks built, and landing one of the first roles with Skateboard GB, which is the National Governing Body for skateboarding in England and the home of Olympic Skateboarding for Great Britain.

Since skateboarding’s first appearance at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, skateboarding has seen a huge number of children and adults taking it up as a hobby or even training to turn pro. And without a doubt, 16-year-old Sky Brown’s second Olympic medal win at this summer’s Paris 2024 Games has inspired countless children across the country to take up skateboarding and get themselves involved. On a global stage such as the Olympics, skateboarding is well on its way to being accepted as an elite sport.

Skateboarding is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK, with approximately 750,000 skateboarders across the country. Thriving with participants under the age of 25, it provides a lively, vibrant and diverse scene. Even though it is still thought of as a male-dominated sport, there has been a 24% increase in the number of girls engaging.

When I was asked by Red Shed, Farshore’s non-fiction imprint, to do the consultancy for This is Skateboarding, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. It’s so important for children to read for pleasure and being able to offer a book that taps into a favourite activity for children is a great way to do this. And for those who aren’t familiar with skateboarding, the book is a brilliant gateway to introduce children to the sport and get them to try something new.

This is Skateboarding, written by Hannah Wilson and illustrated by skateboarder Peter Phobia, is an amazing illustrated book that captures skateboarding culture – from its roots on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1970s to where it is on the global stage today, the sport’s most iconic trailblazers, and how the sport influences so many things you probably didn’t realise (like everyday fashion and pop culture). I wish this book had been around when I was younger!

Many thanks to Neil for sharing this with us and supporting NNFN. Thanks also to Lila Nicholson for all her help.