Hi fellow skaters,

I have today skated on a synthetic ice rink at Trago Mills, Newton Abbot.

The skates are fine but the ice is hard to skate on as it is not maintained properly. It is oily and impossible to skate properly so you slide about each time.

It costs £5.00 in tokens, you receive 10 tokens so good value. It is not an enormous ice rink but good enough if only it were good enough to skate.

There a numerous car parks all free and it is ideal if only we could skate properly.

I am thinking of putting a petition together with instructors/learner skaters to see if this could be converted into real ice.

I am grade 5 and today I was clinging to the side all the time as you slide about everywhere so cannot do your moves properly at all, never mind trying to do a “lemon”! I is not the skates but the surface which is oily that makes it impossible. Obviously, if it too dry it would be too blunt and you could not skate at all. As it goes, it is not advisable to use your own good skates to skate on synthetic ice.

With Plymouth closing and Bristol being the next closest ice rink, I think it would be well worthwhile attempting to put a petition together to try and get it converted, after all, they have the infrastructure already set up with ice boots, the lot. It has huge potential. Lessons could be held there and instructors/learner skaters would no longer need to travel as far as Bristol.

Trago are thinking of converting this synthetic ice rink into a roller-skating venue.  

Let’s try and stop this from happening now and get the interest there right away! Spread the word. Get your skates on!

This would be the only ice rink in the South West!

Are you with me or without me?

Yours hopefully,

Linda