By Anna Laird.

It all started with an exasperated post on the Orkney Merkitplace Facebook page by skater Daniel Savage.  Frustrated with the lack of maintenance of the Kirkwall skate park, he made a plea for his fellow users to consider taking brushes and brooms with them to help keep the park free from debris, which could potentially cause an accident.  I recognised his frustration as I once had to borrow a broom from the Picky centre to sweep up stones, rubbish and glass for half an hour before it was safe to let my five year old son play.  

The deluge of positive responses prompted Daniel to set up a community page for the skate park so people could connect to organise tidying sessions and skate together.  Eventually, with the Orkney weather being what it is, there was a clear solution to keep everyone skating when it was inclement – hold sessions inside the Picky games hall.  Due to popular demand this led to a regular weekly session and the Orkney Wheels Club came to be. 

Click on this link for Orkney Wheels.

Anyone on skates, boards or scooters (a unicycle has also made an appearance) can come along; all ages and all abilities from seasoned veterans to youngsters having a go and their parents doing their best ‘Bambi on ice’ routine trying skates out for the first time in decades (that would be me).  The support shown has been a big part of the feel good factor at the club with everyone taking the time and care to encourage the learning and development of new skills.  A key feature of the evenings is the moments of tension when everyone stops to watch someone attempt something new, following up any failures with encouragement and celebrating every success with cheers.  

With the numbers attending increasing every week, establishing a committee and setting the group up as a constituted club with all that entails has become the newest challenge.  There are now office bearers so the hard work begins to write a constitution while ensuring that the crucial documents and safety mechanims are in place as well as considering forms of fund raising to keep the momentum up.  There are investigations into some ramps and other equipment in storage at Picky that could potentially be revived.  Creative minds like Charlotte Savage have been busy creating logos for clothing and stickers to promote the group so there is plenty to do. 

At the core of everything has been the community and growing a club centered on all participants.  It’s been an impressive rise for the Orkney Wheels Club with a wide diaspora of people taking part.  For me, it’s been a privilage to be part of such a welcoming group that have been so generous with their time and it’s been an education – I now know the difference between a traditional skateboard, a longboard and a surfskate board and in danger of adding to the growing number of wheeled items in the house as I have found surfskating incredibly relaxing and an excellent form of exercise.  As an added bonus, I get to enjoy it with my family as we learn (and fall over) together.  

From small seeds of requirement grew a diverse, welcoming and incredibly supportive community.  It will be exciting to see the next phase as the club develops further.

And maybe I’ll get a go on the unicycle eventually.  Maybe.