please sign the petition here : ipetitions.com/petition/bike-jumping-in-chisbury-woods
The activities of building and riding dirt jumps have been around for years and were first originated from BMX racing in the 1970s. The definition of Dirt Jumping according to Wikipedia is “one of the names given to the practice of riding bikes over cement type jumps of dirt or soil and becoming airborne.” However if you dive under the surface you find the real meaning of dirt jumping. It’s about creating anything you like and being able to enjoy the result, it’s about the community and being part of something. During this project I want to reveal the hidden community of teenagers that are creating a fun and involving environment for the new generation of children, whilst taking part in an ever expanding sport. With no limit to the size and difficulty of these jumps the sport is on a constant evolution and new trails are being built every week, with new tricks being invented alongside. Bedwyn Woods has been a slow moving trails project over the last 15 years with different types of jumps, drops and berms being built. However since October the group has moved to a new hidden location in the same woods to start to build a set of trails that will be maintained and can be used by the local community. I want to follow these young adults as they create an environment where they can ride, enjoy and improve their biking skills. The group is made up of 5-6 main builders and many others that are willing to come up to the forest and help once in while.
Unfortunately the forestry commission have a problem with the building of mud jumps in their forest and have bulldozed all of the remaining jumps. Being a teenager myself it seems whatever we do we are still seen as doing wrong by a large majority of the older generation. I hope this short video can show the public of Great Bedwyn and maybe even the forestry commission that we are only trying to stay fit, have fun and create a safe area for teenagers that live in wiltshire. A special thanks to – Hugo Gardner, Lawrence Pike, Patrick Blunt and Matt Snell and Karen Gardner who are leading the protest for a fun bike trails area in Bedwyn.