UKSPF helps refurbish Preston Pirates BMX track

The official opening of the refurbished BMX track at Preston Pirates was held on Saturday 28 June, the day before a British Cycling Regional event which saw more than 300 riders and 2,000 spectators in attendance at the London Road track.

The upgrade has improved two of the 'berms' (sweeping corners), reprofiling them to improve the rider experience, track safety and drainage. There have also been improvements to some other areas of the track.

Since previous investment in 2014, the club has gone from strength to strength and hosted British Cycling regional events along with its own annual club series event.

The refurbishment was made possible with a partnership between Preston Pirates' contribution of £30,000 along with £18,000 from Preston City Council's UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) allocation for 2024/25 (£9,000 from Parks grant and £9,000 from Leisure Development grant).

Deputy Mayor of Preston, Councillor Nweeda Khan, who officially opened the refurbished track, said:

"Preston Pirates is a very well-established sports club within the city, which we're incredibly proud to support.

"The funding from the Council's shared prosperity allocation is used with the goal of delivering wide-reaching and impactful activities that build pride of place in Preston and increase life chances for all our residents.

"This refurbishment will enable more young people to take part in a growing sport and aid the budding sports stars of the future."

Ian Brookes from Preston Pirates, added:

"Our newly refurbished track gave us an upgrade to our corners (berms), which secures the facility's condition for the long term and means the club can continue to produce top class BMX athletes. We're very grateful for this funding and to everyone involved for their continued support.

"We run sessions five times a week that caters for riders of all abilities and ages. We have been National and British Club Series Champions multiple times, and this year we currently sit in first place in this National Club standings with a good chance of winning it with just two rounds to go.

"It's a great sport for young people to try and we're always welcoming of those who want to give it a go."

About Preston Pirates

Preston Pirates BMX Club was founded in 2005 and provides expert race coaching to riders of all levels and ages.

Today, the club has in excess of 100 members and is well represented at BMX racing events regionally, nationally and globally.

Plans going forward to increase engagement within the local community will have four key themes:

• Youth engagement
• Diverse communities
• Family sessions
• School engagement

With a team of nine fully qualified coaches and five youth mentor coaches that work together to deliver coaching sessions to riders of all abilities from novice level through to expert riders, the club is going from strength to strength.

Preston Pirates currently has riders on the British Cycling performance pathway with local Preston lad, Ross Cullen aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and both James Criddle and Fin Hough both on the Junior Performance Pathway, as well as a number on the regional development structure. Ross Cullen was in attendance at the official opening.