Get your skates on!
Outdoors instructor Kirsty Pallas and her pal Rosie Florence are rolling out a new hobby in lockdown.
While work is out of bounds during the pandemic for Kirsty – who lives in Benderloch – having fun on wheels is not. And it seems the 27-year-old’s enthusiasm for ‘rollers’ has encouraged others across Argyll to get their skates on too.
‘I’d seen photos of bikini-clad women in golden sunshine in California doing it along the beach, looking so cool. Our weather can’t quite match it over there, but it looked great fun. Rosie jumped on the idea when I mentioned it and our skates arrived in the post the next week,’ said Kirsty.
Rosie, who works as a midwife, regularly pairs up with Kirsty when they venture out in search of smooth surfaces to roller on. The cycle track close to Kirsty’s home was a good place to start.
‘We were wondering whether anyone knew of any good spots to skate so we made a Facebook page and asked the question, expecting just a handful of people to get back to us. It’s just taken off. There are 143 people who have joined the Facebook group so far. It’s fantastic. People are posting up videos of themselves skating, asking questions and sharing information.
‘When we started it, we weren’t sure if it would just be the two of us posting on it. Some people are even saying we’ve inspired them to get new skates or to dig out their old skates and get them back on,’ added Kirsty.
The next plan is to see what people want to get from the group whether, once Covid allows, they want to meet up or organise events.
‘We’re hoping once we are able to and restrictions ease, to build this into something much bigger. Roll on then!’ added Kirsty who always wears protective kit, including a helmet and knee pads.
‘We’ve had a fair few falls but our rollerskating skills seem to be progressing quickly,’ she said.
To find out more, search Argyll Roller Skaters on Facebook.