Ice skating is a great sport for all ages and if you visit any of London’s ice rinks that’s just what you’ll find, from toddlers to pensioners and beginners to champions. It’s a great way to keep fit, develop a rare skill and to make new friends. Whether you’ve never skated before and can barely stand on the ice, or if you’re continuing something you began in childhood, London ice rinks have great coaches who can help you to rapidly advance. It’s a past-time that you really can pursue on your own so you don’t have to drag along unwilling friends.
Ice Skate UK is a national programme that’s been developed to bring consistency to group skating courses throughout the country. There are 10 levels which take you from learning to stand on the ice through to jumps and spins. Each ice rink organises it slightly differently – at Queens Ice and Bowl you just turn up on a Wednesday morning, Tuesday or Thursday evening, on ice at 7pm with a 30 minute group lesson followed by 30 minutes to practise before the public session which you can also stay for.
Streatham ice arena has now closed, but a brand new rink has replaced it temporarily in Brixton, near the station. There are block courses on weekend mornings, on ice at 9.30 and Tuesday and Thursday evenings. You pay in advance for 6 weeks, for a 30 minute group lesson and freedom to skate for the rest of the day or evening. With no experience of Alexandra Palace or Lee Valley courses, we can’t comment on how they are organised but would welcome information in the comments below.
At Queens you can just turn up with no commitment or planning, the ice rink is well organised, clean and well maintained. The downside is that the people attending tend to change each time you visit and there’s not a great feeling of being in a group progressing through the stages together, also it’s not a full sized rink and can be quite busy.
The upside of Brixton is that having paid for 6 weeks in advance the same people turn up every week, progression through the levels is very well organised and there’s a great family feeling that keeps the same people going for years.
Once you complete the Skate UK programme you can continue your skating with private coaching and there are dance clubs at all of the rinks and synchro teams at most of them.
There are young people across the capital learning to skate to the highest levels – the national and international stars of the future. Below is video of Streatham brother and sister, normally individual skaters, with a programme put together on the spot on a competition day as a tribute to Michael Jackson.
please can u tell me if they do a beginners group for O A PS PLZ My mum would love to learn to ice skate an she could make her way to ley valley quite easily. many thanks .
Hi Brenda
Thanks for your enquiry. All the ice rinks do lessons and all ages are welcome. Queens does drop-in Lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, where you pay for just one evening at a time, so your mum could go along and try it. The Streatham rink has now moved to Brixton, near the station, and they do lessons group lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings too, but you pay for a few weeks in advance. There are absolute beginners groups at both rinks on these evenings. Lee Valley also have group lessons on Tuesday evenings. I hope your mum tries it and enjoys it.