GR8 SK8
New club is ‘in-line’ for success
ocal father of four, Mark Hirst and his wife Clare, were spending so much time watching their children skating up and down the road in front of their house they decided to set up a skating club in Leek. GR8 SK8 was launched at Brough Park Leisure Centre in June and since then has been going from strength to strength, attracting skaters from as young as four years old to adults in their forties and even fifties to their Saturday morning sessions, as word has spread about the new provision available for families right here in the town. Speaking to Leek Life about the venture Mark explained: “It was two of our daughters, Charlotte and Katie who originally came up with the idea back in October 2012, as the dark nights and wet weather began to draw in. They had spent the summer months skating in front of our house and wanted somewhere safe and dry to skate in the winter. We thought it would be a good idea to set up a club in Leek so that other children and their families could also benefit by skating in a fun and safe environment. We carried out a lot of research
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to determine the viability of a club, purchased the equipment we needed to get off the ground and have steadily been building up since the launch.” Although GR8 SK8 is a small part-time business venture for the Hirst family it is something much more to Mark and Clare who say, “Quality family time is extremely important to us. We noticed that there were limited activities for young people and their families to enjoy together in the town. GR8 SK8 gives families the opportunity to get up and be more active at the weekends, making the most of their Saturday morning. It’s a great leisure activity and has excellent health benefits too. Skating is a low impact, aerobic exercise; great for cardiovascular health, burning off between 250 and 810 calories per hour! It improves muscle tone and also enhances mental fitness due to the concentration, balance, control and general agility required.” The venue for the Skating Club is Brough Park Leisure Centre, which is, as Mark pointed out, ‘ideal’. Not only does it have the large sports hall for the skating sessions, but also has a cafe for parents and grandparents who don’t want to
40 Leek Life September/October 2013