When was the last time you went ice skating? With arguably the nation's best facilities right on your doorstep we look at what's coming up at the National Ice Centre over the next few months and how you can get involved...
Since first being opened in April 2000 by Olympic Gold Medallist, Jayne Torvill, the National Ice Centre has provided world class ice skating and ice sports activities from its base in Nottingham City Centre.
If you’re born and bred in the city it’s easy to take an amazing facility like this for granted, but there are many further afield who would love access to a world-leading facility like this on their doorstep. The venue has the first twin Olympic-sized pads in the UK and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of budding skaters over the years.
One of the reasons the venue is so synonymous with Torvill and Dean (note: the address is Bolero Square) is because this is where Jayne and Christopher trained, starting out in the 1970s and moving on to their ‘Last Dance’ shows at the Arena in July this year. There’s even a beautiful display of their memorabilia and costumes for you to peruse before or after your session in the ‘T&D Café, which overlooks the ice’.
However, you don’t have to be world class to have a go. In fact you don’t need to have even tried it before. The team at the National Ice Centre have a strong belief that anyone can skate and thus, they are running a range of accessible public skating sessions, lessons, clinics and more this summer as part of their 25th Birthday Celebrations. Their sessions are really accessible too and both pushchairs and wheelchairs can go on the ice.
Ways you can get you and your family and friends involved in ice skating include...
May Half-Term Skating
If you want some family-friendly activity this May then they’re offering disco sessions, themed parents and tots skates, a holiday club and daily skating sessions. Plus, you can learn how to skate at intensive lessons and develop skills at the Junior Ice Hockey Clinic. Tickets are free for under-5’s, £12 for those aged 6-15 and £13 if you are 16 and over. There are also discounts available for students, families and Active Nottingham and Blue Light Card holders.
Free Skating For Schools
From 2 June to 24 July, the venue is offering free places most weekdays for Nottingham city schoolchildren. If you work within a school and would like to book your class in then go to their website and fill out the form to apply. In total there are 50,000 places on offer, so feel free to ask for enough tickets for the whole school. No prior skating experience is required and it’s a wonderful way for students to bond and stay active.
Skating Lessons
Want to learn how to spin and glide around the ice like a pro? The NIC run a range of lessons and classes to cater for all abilities from beginner right up through the 8 levels of Skate UK. The lessons include thirty-minute group tuition, skate hire and coach support. They run on a weekly basis throughout the year at a cost of £60 per month by Direct Debit or £102 for every 6 week course. Or if you’d prefer to blitz it in a few days then intensive courses are also available.
Other Ice Sports
If you’re more interested in Ice Hockey, speed skating or synchronised skating then the NIC has you covered. The Nottingham Synchronized Skating Academy are one of the country’s leading synchronised skating clubs, comprised of seven squads and approximately 100 skaters. The venue also hosts the Nottingham Ice Racing Club, which offers trials and lessons to anyone aged between 5 and 55.
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