From classrooms to skateparks: Charter pupils get on board with Deck the Vault project in collaboration with The Vault, Gorleston's new youth space

Deck the Vault is an innovative art project organised by The Vault in Gorleston, aiming to help inspire young people and explore urban and modern art on an exciting medium – the skateboard. Over 30 pupils were involved in the project, attending a workshop and utilising the after-school art club to realise their designs onto life-sized skateboard decks.  

The workshop was led by Mat Dale from East Coast College art department, and Jackson Harmer and Ben Stone from The Vault in Gorleston. Pupils from all years were excited to get involved, with the finished skateboards now available to view in The Vault, where they will go up for auction at a later date to support local charities in the community. All the finished designs are a testament to the pupil's hard work and creativity, with a variety of materials and different techniques used to produce a set of truly unique deck designs.  

The Vault, a new youth space in Gorleston, aims to foster creativity and develop the skills and interests of pupils in art and creative design. The space, located in the new building that was previously Belly Boos, launched back in November with pupils from Great Yarmouth Charter Academy to provide designs to use for a tattoo-inspired skateboard deck. The Vault also functions as a community hub celebrating art and music and serves as a creative space for young people to use. 

Speaking about the project, Ben Stone explained, “it was great to see young people so excited by the project”. Mat Dale said “Thank you to the teachers for welcoming us to the school and the opportunity to get the students involved in this community project. This allows them to start thinking about working on a set brief as an artist or designer and will be a great confidence builder when the final decks are displayed”. 

Sean Powell, Senior Vice Principal overseeing Personal Development at the school said,

“At Charter, we believe that it is important to develop social entrepreneurial skills and the next business leaders in the east coast. The new youth space in Gorleston is just one part of a larger strategy that we have in place to foster creativity, encourage innovation and provide our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the future.” 

On display at The Vault