Slip Sliding Away

Stockton school children were definitely put in the festive mood when 240 primary school pupils from 10 schools attended the Stockton Festival of Ice at Billingham Forum Ice Arena.

Pupils from St Joseph’s Billingham, Norton Primary School, Harewood Primary Schools St Bedes, St Marks’s, St Gregorys, Roseberry Primary School, Oakdene Primary School, Bewley Primary School and St Joseph’s Norton had exclusive use of the ice, so they were able to tackle the ice and improve their skating skills.

For many of the children this was their first experience of putting ice skating boots on and venturing on the ice.

The event organised by Stockton School Partnership in partnership with Tees Active was part of a series of events organised throughout the year which will aim to introduce school children to a wide selection of physical activities.

Peter Sheahan Stockton Schools Partnership Competition Manager said “The Stockton Schools Ice Festival has been a fantastic success with 240 school children from 10 primary schools in Stockton n getting to experience the thrill of skating at Billingham Forum Ice Arena. It was great to see how the children’s confidence and ability increased after spending a short time on the ice. The demand from the schools and the success of the festival has already made us to start planning for our next festival,”

Allan McDermott, Community Engagement Manager for Tees Active added “The school children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was great to hear that pupil from St Josephs Billingham enjoyed it so much that they went skating as a group of friends on the following weekend. Let’s hope they continue to enjoy their skating,”