AN INDOOR skatepark in Newport is strulggling to find a larger venue that meets its needs - leaving its future in the balance.

No Comply, currently located in Newport's Friars Walk, has been hoping to move to a bigger venue since June, but owner Alan Cains has been finding it tricky to find a location that is affordable in the current climate.

The venue has been forced to crowdfund to stay afloat during the cost-of-living crisis.

Running costs have soared by around £400, making the park almost untenable, despite currently serving around 2,000 users, with people regularly returning from all over the UK, including Cornwall, Devon and London.

Mr Cains says despite this, he is having very little luck finding a larger venue that he believes would be more profitable as it would allow him to build a bigger business, including elements for parents, such as a coffee machine, which would bring in extra income.

He said: “I’ve tried every single warehouse and industrial site in the area, and every one of them is saying no. They have no interest in hosting a skatepark, even though it is really popular.

“We get a lot of new skaters and older skaters coming to try out our courses here, because they are so much smaller and safer for beginners, rather than outdoor skateparks, where it’s all huge.”

“We know there is the need for somewhere like this, and there’s nowhere in Newport like us.”

With future funding not yet confirmed, it has left crowdfunding as the only viable option to combat the financial trouble caused by a drop income from lack of customers during the warm weather at Easter.

Mr Cains said: “However, during the summer holidays, all of our classes – for children, older learners like me who’ve been skating for years – have all been pretty packed.

“We see a lot of people come from out of area to try us out as a new experience. This is something really common in the skateboarding community.

“We’ve actually increased the length of our classes because we’ve had so much take-up. We used to do one-hour sessions, but now we do two hours. You really see so much more progression in that time as one hour is nowhere near long enough to learn any new skill.”

The crowdfunding has a target of £6,500 with a September 16 deadline, and almost half has already been raised.

The hope is this will keep them going for six months, but there is uncertainty over the skatepark’s future beyond that.

You can donate here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/no-comply-skatepark