Leeds garden centre donates ice rink session for Inclusive Skating Awards
The team at a South Leeds garden centre ice rink hosted a group of skaters for a unique awards ceremony that coincided with World Ice Skating Day on 15th December.
Adrian Jack, Professional Ice Skating Coach at Bradford Ice Arena, sought an outdoor ice rink to host an awards ceremony for some of his skaters with additional needs who won medals in the Inclusive Skating Virtual World Championships recently. He approached Tingley Garden Centre, who gave them free access to the boutique ice rink.
“The skaters did extremely well in the Virtual Championships and came away with many medals for their hard work. All of the skaters had to submit videos of their skating routines and dances in order to win. I wanted a location to present the medals that was as unique and magical as the skaters themselves; for me, the ice rink at Tingley was all of that and more. The decoration around the rink and the Christmas tree in the middle made the perfect backdrop for our amazing skaters,” said Mr Jack.
The awards were presented by Yorkshire Garden Centre’s head of marketing, Jo Dales, who said: “We were so proud to be the location for a very special awards ceremony today – five talented skaters from Inclusive Skating were presented with a total of 11 awards after they competed in the Inclusive Skating Virtual World Championships.
“Callum Mills from Chesterfield scooped an incredible six golds and joined us on the ice to receive his medals. Thank you to the team at Tingley for making the rink available and hosting the ceremony so the momentous occasion and incredible achievements of the skaters could be marked.”
The medal winners were Ruhina Kapdi, Bronze, Free Skating; Gemma Brumfitt, Silver, Free Skating; Charlie Stamp, Silver, Free Skating and Elements; Amy Scott, Gold, Free Skating; and Callum Mills, Gold, Free Skating, Elements, Pairs Skating;, two Ice Dances and Free Dance.
Tingley Garden Centre is part of the Yorkshire Garden Centres family that also owns Tong Garden Centres and the former Stephen H Smith’s Garden Centres in Otley and Bingley plus Dean’s in York and Scarborough.