SECTION 2.4.1

Who Responded & Where They Came From

The survey closed on 27 April 2026 with 134 completed responses over a three-week window (target was 200). This sub-section profiles who responded, where they came from, and how they travelled to 5 Bridges — the foundation for the value, impact, and priority findings that follow.

Sample profile

Profile dimension	Snapshot
Connection	40% regular users (weekly+); 31% occasional; 15% visited a few times; remainder includes parents/guardians, supporters, instructors, and shop owners.
Recency	57% used 5 Bridges within the last month before closure — a recent-user base, not nostalgia.
Primary activity	Skateboarding 75%; inline/roller 10%; BMX 8%; scooter 2%; spectating/social 4%.
Age	12–17: 5%; 18–24: 18%; 25–34: 32%; 35–44: 27%; 45–54: 15%; 55+: 3%; prefer not to say: 1%.
Gender	84% male; 15% female; 1% non-binary.
Ethnicity	91% White British; 9% other groups or undisclosed.
Skill level	48% advanced; 42% intermediate; 5% beginner; 3% professional/competitive; 3% parent/supporter.
Years in the activity	53% over 10 years; 15% 5–10; 13% 3–5; 13% 1–3; 3% under 1 year.
Accessibility needs	1.5% identified an accessibility need to be designed for.

Note on representativeness. The sample over-represents experienced adult skaters and under-represents under-18s, women, and beginners. The Phase 2 follow-up plan in § 2.5 is designed to close those gaps.

Where they came from

Stylised editorial map of North East England showing concentric 5, 10 and 20 mile distance rings emanating from central Gateshead, with respondent locations as glowing green dots clustered most densely along NE postcodes and secondary clusters in DH and TS.

Figure 2.4.1a — Geographic spread of the 134 respondents (catchment map, illustrative).

Catchment is regional, not borough-bound. Postcodes span 52 distinct prefixes across the Tyne and Wear conurbation (NE, SR), County Durham (DH1–DH9), Northumberland (NE61–NE64), Teesside (TS14, TS18, TS19, TS25, TS26), and as far as YO21.
Top concentrations: NE9 Low Fell, NE10 Felling, NE8 Gateshead centre, NE11 Dunston, NE28 Wallsend, NE38 Washington.
Distance travelled: 56% travelled 5+ miles to reach 5 Bridges; 29% travelled more than 10 miles. The covered facility was a regional, not local, asset.

Figure 2.4.1b — Distance respondents travelled to reach 5 Bridges (n=134).

How they travelled

Cars accounted for the majority of journeys (47% drove themselves, 10% were dropped off — 57% combined). Public transport (Metro + bus) covered a quarter, and active travel (cycle, skate, scoot, walk) accounted for 18%. Public-transport access matters but car dominance in the data tempers any assumption that town-centre proximity is decisive (see also § 2.4.3 The Replacement).

Figure 2.4.1c — Primary travel mode to 5 Bridges (n=134).

Willingness to travel further

When asked whether they would travel further than they did to 5 Bridges if the new facility were higher quality:

62% — Yes, I'd travel further for a better facility
33% — Maybe, depending on how much better it was
4% — No, I need it as close or closer
1% — Not sure

95% are open to travelling further in exchange for higher quality. Combined with the 5+ mile catchment evidence above, this gives the project explicit permission for the location trade-offs the shortlisted sites all make. This finding is the basis for the priority hierarchy unpacked in § 2.4.3.