Create a Riverside Climbing & Bouldering park

Aim: Transforming a historic riverside site into a realistic-rock outdoor climbing centre with café and street art space. To include a kid's area

Please note that this campaign is all-or-nothing. Your money will be refunded if we do not manage to hit our target.

It is our aim to build an ultra-realistic rock climbing and bouldering park on a site that was once an incredible adventure sports facility. It was famous for Graffiti too and it is our aim to integrate this into the park, ensuring that it is still a space for local artists while supporting the local community. If you pledge to us, we will:

• Build one of the best bouldering parks in the UK

• Create a hub for outdoor sports and activities

• Encourage people of all ages to take part in adventure sports

• Work with charities to ensure that people in crisis get priority access

• Install the first riverside café in Nottingham, serving kayakers and passing boats

• Offer riverside yoga to locals and travellers

• Facilitate a graffiti space where local artists can express themselves

• Offer activities such as soft archery, team building and bouldering

View from Boatyard Boulders

Hand drawn concept designs 

A Vibrant Adventure Space for Nottingham Residents

It is our aim to craft a vibrant adventure space for local residents. Since launching our campaign, dozens of people have contacted us to tell us how much of a positive experience they have had when visiting the facility. It is our aim to ensure that it is restored as much as possible while offering kayaking, canoeing, bouldering and even paddleboarding activities. In addition to this, we are going to offer free access to people who require extra support, or those who have been referred to us by local Nottingham charities. It is our aim to partner with scout groups and schools, ensuring that there is a bustling community hub suited to every age, on either side of the river.

Volunteers building the place. 

We completed this mural last week of Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi at the site. We'll do much more of this, raising awareness of issues with Art.

Ben Hunter- The Man Behind this Sensational Project

Ben Hunter has been installing climbing systems for over two decades. Over a million people per day climb on one of his creations and to date, he’s one of the best rock moulders in the business. Ben works with a small team of carpenters, rock sculptures and artists, ensuring that quality is paramount across every single project. It is Ben’s dream to ensure that more and more people have the opportunity to experience adventure sports while facilitating a safe space for every resident. Ben wanted to bridge the gap between real rock climbing and indoor rock climbing, and thus, the idea for an ultra-realistic bouldering park was born.

Through his hard work and dedication, Ben has been able to source the Arches Adventure Base, right under the Lady Bay Bridge. Every single rock structure is going to be carved by hand and the climbing holds will be made on-site.

The Cliffs at DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge are similar to what we want to create 

Our space under Lady Bay Bridge Nottingham (Not quite as iconic as Brooklyn bridge) 

A Constantly Evolving Wonderland for Thrill Seekers

It’s very important to us, that this space is able to constantly evolve. It’s going to have mural artwork, hyper-realistic structures and more, while being a home to street art and a kid’s play area.

Realistic Boulders that Change with the Needs of the Community

There are going to be three different rock types for this project. They include limestone, granite and sandstone. There are also going to be recreations of worldwide climbing locations, with a main focus being on Fontainebleau. We understand that some people never get the opportunity to make the leap to climb on real rock climbing, whether it is through physical limitations or the sheer expense of travelling. That is why this adventure project is going to bridge the gap, providing a realistic rock-climbing experience to locals of every age. If some of the climbs start to wear out, or if residents feel ready for something new, we can change out the holds to create a unique and new formation. Fixing points and climbing holds are going to be catered to novices and complete beginners too, meaning that the boulders are not going to just be suited to elite climbers.

Working with Local Schools, Charities, and Those in Need

We are going to work with local charities. We are going to provide free access to the facilities if there are people in need, and we are also going to reserve a minimum of one day per week for school bookings. We are working with the community to turn this space into something that the midlands and Nottingham can be proud of.

Qualifications we’re Going to Offer

·        NICAS Bouldering

·        NICAS Climbing

·        British Canoeing Awards

·        Safety Training and SUPSafer

·        Guided Trips to the Peak District

What to Expect from our Bouldering Park

Our bouldering park is going to be a space where people can climb without ropes. We are also going to provide adequate safety surfacing that accommodates the height of the structures. Our site will be paid-entry, but we are going to make sure that we put a prime focus on ensuring that our sessions are affordable. The only reason why our facility is going to have paid sessions is because we do have utility bills and rent to pay, but ultimately, we are entirely confident that the café is going to help subsidise the cost of entry. When people ask us to describe what it is we want to build, the closest thing that we can say is that it is going to be similar to the Cliffs at DUMBO. This is in NYC, but of course, it is our aim to have realistic rock as opposed to ones that are made out of blue fibreglass.

A recent project by our rock carving team

Access that we Intend to Offer

• Long spring and summer opening hours for before work Bouldering.

•  No yearly membership fee

• Day passes with open options to leave and return

• Season passes and weekend passes

• Free access to charity referrals

What’s your Money Going to Pay For?

Your money is going to pay for the entire rock structure. We are going to have ultra-realistic boulders with the option to have climbing holds for route setting. We are very conscious about the environment and how projects like ours can impact it through carbon emissions. That is why we are going to offset the carbon from our concrete by planting well over 1000 square meters of woodland. We have also made the decision to use Hemp shiv filler, which is UK grown. We are going to build 900 square metres of climbing surface.

Right now, there is an existing 2000 combined square metres of climbing wall surface within 4 miles of the centre. We intend to increase this capacity by 45%.

What Else Will My Money Pay For?

Your money is also going to fund our very own kid’s area. This is going to consist of a lot of timber structures as well as murals. We are going to pack as much into the space as we can, while also ensuring that it is as safe and as secure as possible. We are also going to install bonded rubber mulch. This is to ensure an adequate level of safety surfacing. We are also going to use recycled tyres. Normally these would have gone to a landfill, but we are going to make sure that this is not the case.

We are also going to install a very large forest mural which will cover the corrugated building and transform the space visually. It is our aim to erect some river barriers. While being right on the river is great, we have to remember that safety is always a priority, and that is why we are going to ensure that this is catered for.

What Rewards do you Get?

We greatly understand the fact that this is a very difficult time for people, and that is why we want to reflect our gratitude by giving back to the people who have made all of this possible. We wanted to give back things that we have either designed or made ourselves. We have sets of rubber holds that can grip onto any surface and we are also proud to say that we have some graffiti prints. You can even choose to have your name put on the changing room block, or on a t-shirt. We have a huge rewards section, so we are confident that we’ll have something for you.

What Happens if we Hit our Target

We truly hope that you are as thrilled about this project as we are. If we are able to hit the target, then we are confident that we can go full-time throughout autumn and winter. It is our aim to be fully open and functional by spring, 2023. If you cannot donate, we understand. If you still want to support our cause then you can share it. This will help us to get a lot of exposure and it may also help to turn our dreams into a reality.

You can also come down and see the site or have a tour of the area. We conduct tours every Saturday at around 10am and we are doing this until the 5th of November.

Many thanks for your interest

Let’s make this dream, become a reality.

Ben

Here is a small selection of our recent projects

Rewards details 

£15 -Logo concept artwork print A3 'Lost Octopus'

500 x available.

£20 - Exclusive access weekend pass (soft opening)

date to be announced

£35 - Signed by the artist and numbered 1 of 100 A3 print 'Stranded' 

£30 - Unisex T-shirt 'Boatyard Boulders

£50 - Name on our changing room block. Not across the whole wall, but 15cm x 20cm space per person, 2 lines max 14 characters per line. 

£65 - Beginner set of 15 x rubber-backed climbing holds. White colour without fixings. These are hand made by us. 

£85 - Advanced set of 15 x rubber-backed climbing holds. White colour without fixings. These are hand made by us.

£1350 - X300 mixed colour climbing holds. 4 colour split. Bolt on type, rubber-backed. These are hand made by us.

£5000 - Tour of the build. 4 x T-Shirts. 300x mixed colour climbing holds. Name on our refurbished entrance shield plaque. (It will be restored to its 1989 state)

Entrance plaque

£12'000 - 4 month advertising slot on our 5 metre x 10 metre mural wall off lady bay bridge. This includes a drone filming package. Everything is hand sprayed and we can provide the graphic design too. 15k+ cars pass it per day and up to 12k footfall on match days. 

Thank you for you time and I hope this has got you as excited about the project as I am. 

If we hit the target then we can go flat out full-time through this Autumn and winter and be open this coming Spring 2023. 

If you can't donate but still like the project, please share it. 

Do come to see the site and have a tour,

every Saturday 10am until the 5th November.

Many Thanks 

Ben 

Out-takes drone malfunction 

Huge News!

We have had a donation of textured climbing wall panels, which today would cost £10'000 possibly more.