Getting their skates on in Leeds for Donisthorpe

“Skating on ice is a thousand times easier than skating on a synthetic surface like the one they used. What they’ve achieved is incredible.”

Emma Gordon was one of three skaters who fractured a wrist at rehearsal. “I was standing quite still after doing my routine and I must have ceased concentrating,” she said. “My feet just went under me.”

When asked to participate, Samantha Walton’s heart said yes, but her head suggested the opposite — she could not skate. But after performing her solo number at the gala, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I’ve loved learning a new skill and meeting new people.”

The gala was the brainchild of Stuart Levin, who has staged celebrity events for his children’s charity, Make A Dream. He has long wanted to stage an event for Donisthorpe, where his late mother was a resident, and pitched the idea to Donisthorpe chair Andrew Brown.

A condition of entry for the local skaters was to bring in at least one table of diners (a minimum of 10 guests) and to guarantee at least £500 in sponsorship. Auction prizes included a trip to the House of Commons, donated by Leeds MP Fabian Hamilton, and there was dancing on safer terrain to a performance by Bucks Fizz.

The event also helped to raise awareness of Donisthorpe, which is struggling to make up the shortfall from reduced local government income.