Pandemic pastime

THE short film spans the early days of the city’s roller-skating heritage up to its more recent revival led by a group of young women who came together during the pandemic in search of a way to exercise and have fun safely.

One of them, Meredith Ellington, said the project had helped to bring a new perspective to roller skating.

“When you go to a museum and see how people used to live you feel a connection with those from another generation,” she said. “We get to be connected to skaters from the past, just by putting on our little wheely shoes.

“We’re all doing it for the same reasons: we love dancing, we love going really fast, we love having the attention of onlookers, and the feeling of freedom skating brings.”

Stephen Sheriff, events and development co-ordinator at Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, said: “It was a real surprise to find out that folks have been roller skating in Glasgow since the 1870s, and that the city has been home to more than 40 roller rinks.

“We’re really excited to share the film and hope that it might contribute to the current craze for roller skating, encouraging more people to get their skates on.”

The research is part of My Historic Neighbourhood, a wider project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which aims to celebrate the heritage on the doorsteps of neighbourhoods around the city.

The film will be launched at the Barrowland Ballroom this coming Friday (September 2), and marks the lead-up to Glasgow Doors Open Day Festival, a week of programmed events and tours of heritage buildings around the city