Adrenaline Alley: The sports haven behind an Olympic medal

Discover the inspiring story behind Olympic BMX freestyle silver medallist Kieran Reilly’s training facility, Adrenaline Alley, and how one mother’s determination turned an attack into a world-class sports haven. 🛹🚴‍♂️✨

Founder Mandy Young MBE DL was inspired to create a safe place for local kids to skate after her 14-year-old son, John, was attacked in the street for carrying a skateboard.

“Adrenaline Alley was formed in 2002 by a grassroots community group as a result of my son having been attacked on a skateboard,” Mandy explains.

“We wanted to turn all that negativity into something positive. We created this group of John’s friends, and we went out into the community, told everyone what we were trying to do, and gave the kids a voice to see if we could achieve the dream.”

With the help of a Charity Bank loan, Adrenaline Alley was able to purchase their current six-acre site, answering the growing demand for their services.

“We’ve grown organically from a grassroots project into a world-class facility with over 162,000 members and an average of 70,000 visits per year,” Mandy says.

“Thousands of people come here from all over the world to what is now renowned as the best facility in the world for urban sports such as BMX and skateboarding.”

Kieran Reilly’s silver medal is the third Olympic success by Adrenaline Alley members, joining Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Charlotte Worthington and bronze medallist Declan Brooks. All of them credit the centre as having played a huge part in their achievements.

Watch our video to find out more about how Adrenaline Alley has become a world class facility for the whole community, from teaching toddlers to ride their first bike to supporting Team GB Olympians to win gold.