The roller skating revival in the West Midlands
Meet the people skating through lockdown
Last updated 8th Feb 2021
The popularity of roller-skating in the West Midlands has soared since the start of pandemic - with growing numbers of people sharing videos online.
The current lockdown restrictions in England say people can only exercise by themselves, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. This is limited to once per day, and only within your local area.
Roller skating has proven to be an attractive option for people looking for an alternative to walking, running or cycling.
People across the region have also told us they've seen big improvements to their mental health after meeting other skaters on social media.
We meet the people across the West Midlands bringing roller skating to the forefront.
Rachael Powis, Stourbridge
Rachael Powis from Stourbridge runs her own business "For Heaven's Skates" - making custom roller-skates out of people's favourite trainers.
She says demand for equipment has more than tripled since the start of lockdown.
She said: "Since last Summer I've seen a a massive upturn in enquires, mainly from people who've never skated before. They ask for more information, how to get into it, where to skate, where to buy skates. It's definitely getting a lot more popular.
"There's definitely been a recent explosion in roller skating and the interest in it. I think that's being driven by Tik Tok and other platforms like that, but really all its done is open up the sport to a whole new audience.
"I think a lot of the appeal of roller skating is you can just about do it anywhere. People tell me it's a great way for them to explore the local area. Skating on the streets, especially during the first lockdown when there was a lot less traffic on the roads. But plenty of parks have places to skate, even if you're limited for space you can skate in your home.
"The other massive appeal of rollerskating, is the community aspect. I think over lockdown, that's what people are actively looking for, to feel part of something. Part of a wider community. Part of a group going out and learning a new skill."
Nicole Browne, Yardley
Nicole Browne from Yardley started roller-skating during the first lockdown.
She said: "I bought my first pair of skates during the first lockdown after watching local Tok Tok videos. It was really hard as a beginner and local roadside were really quite daunting but then I found skate parks near me in Yardley. I started out as a beginner, I was 'Bambi on Ice', but it really improves your confidence as you learn.
"I started recording myself to track my progress, share my journey and see how much confidence I'd developed. The difference was evident but you are inevitably going to fall and my most popular Tok Tok videos were always the ones of me showing my bruises!
"It's really amazing what opportunities I've had from it. I actually had a job as a roller skating waitress. I'd only had about 2, 3 months experience but they still offered me the job. I was so shocked but through it I met even more friends who had just started learning roller skating too."
Laura Morgan, Powick
Laura Morgan competes in roller derby for the Worcester Wyldings Roller Derby team. Roller derby is a contact sport where teams get points for lapping other players.
She said: "In the skating community now, we're seeing masses of people coming up and questioning 'what's that your doing? Why are you skating?' It gets to the point where your Facebook is predominately made up of people from the roller skating community.
"Roller discos are still a thing, we've got the Urban Rollers in Birmingham and the Roller Revolution in Birmingham and across the West Midlands.
"We generally get a massive interest when you're out skating with your friends . You're skating around towns, footpaths and everyone is alway friendly. You'll regularly see new people joining the roller skating groups and asking on social media advice on skating and where the best spots are
"From the mental benefits side of it, with lockdown everyone is struggling. Finding new ways to entertain themselves. This is the prefect time to learn something new!"
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