Embedded Files
May Update: Skate and Learn Is Scheduled.
May Update: Skate and Learn Is Scheduled.
May has been another exciting month for Hackney on Ice, and we are very happy to say that our funded Skate and Learn sessions are now finalised and scheduled for June.
This is a huge milestone for us.
When we started this pilot, the dream was always to create a real pathway from the school hall to the ice rink. Not just one nice session. Not just a photo opportunity. A proper first step into the sport, a chance to move and meet new friends for the children who need it most. Thanks to the support around us, that is now happening.
We have loved how this first pilot has gone. It has not been perfect, and we have definitely learned lessons along the way, but that is exactly why pilots matter. You test, you learn, you adjust, and you make the next one stronger. This first experience has been absolutely invaluable, and everything we have learned will help us make future models even better.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this point. Lee Valley Ice Centre, Lee Valley Vampires, Sport England, the National Lottery, the IHUK Foundation, Gainsborough Primary School, and every person who has encouraged, advised, shared, opened doors, asked questions, or simply believed in the idea.
It really does take a community to build grassroots sport.
We are also very excited about the future of ice sports at Lee Valley. There is a real sense of momentum, and we feel lucky to be part of something that feels bigger than just one pilot. When rinks, players, schools, national organisations and community groups start pulling in the same direction, that is when things can really grow.
May has also brought the IIHF World Championship, and of course, it was sad to see Great Britain finish at the bottom of the final standings and be relegated from the top flight. But they still made it there, competed at the highest level, and represented the country with pride. That matters too. Ice hockey is not an easy sport to grow in the UK, and every player wearing that GB shirt is part of the bigger journey.
And who knows — maybe one day, a Hackney on Ice child will help Great Britain win gold.
We said maybe. We are grassroots, not miracle workers. Yet.
For now, we are focused on June, on giving 10 children a funded Skate and Learn opportunity, and on making sure this pilot finishes properly. After that, we will take the lessons, refine the model, strengthen the pathway, and keep building and get in touch with the next school on our list!
This is still only the beginning.
Thank you to everyone standing with us. We are building this together — one session, one school, one child at a time.
#HackneyOnIce #BreakingTheIce #GrassrootsHockey #HackneySport #CommunitySport #InclusiveSport #LeeValley #LeeValleyVampires #SportEngland #NationalLottery #IHUK #IceHockeyUK #YouthDevelopment #BeTheChange #HackneyOnIceCIC
Previous Blogs
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse