A retro-themed roller rink has opened at the Metrocentre

The Metrocentre, in Gateshead, is playing home to retro-themed roller rink for the rest of the summer holidays.

Transcript

00:00We're super excited to be given the opportunity. The Metro Centre reached out to us a few months ago

00:03and basically gives us the chance to have a presence here right next to Vision Square.

00:07So again it's just an opportunity for some diversion activities for teenagers but also

00:11some family activities throughout the holidays. It gives somebody an extra reason why not come

00:15to an amazing shopping centre like the Metro Centre when there's now some fun attraction

00:18right outside some of your best shops to keep the kids entertained whilst you go shopping.

00:21Now obviously the proceeds from this do go to Power Through Sport,

00:24just talk us through what Power Through Sport is for people who might not know what it is.

00:27So Power Through Sport, we're a community interest company, a non-for-profit and we

00:31specialise in alternative minority sports. We effectively use those sports in areas of

00:36low-income underserved communities where we know we can have the biggest impact in

00:40rebalancing rising health inequalities. So a lot of what we do, we're improving

00:44physical and mental health, we're offsetting anti-social behaviour and improving educational

00:48outcomes. Often targeting the youth who have often been left behind in a lot of these kind

00:51of left-behind communities and give them a chance to, like I said, rebalance rising health

00:55inequalities across even the North East and hopefully make the North East a happier and

00:59healthier place to live. Now obviously, talk to us about the roller

01:02rink, what can people expect from this roller rink here at the Metro Centre?

01:04Well yeah, many people might remember roller skating from the 90s and everybody used to do it

01:08out on the streets. It's one of those activities now which has almost become very hidden because

01:11nobody plays out on the streets anymore. So what's amazing and incredible, doing it

01:14somewhere so visible and so vibrant like the Metro Centre, it's fun for the whole family,

01:19it's a great new way to develop new skills. A lot of young people have never even seen

01:22roller skates and never mind being on them, so when you have lots of young people falling over

01:26together, they're helping each other up, peer-to-peer sport, families coming together.

01:30Roller skating is a great activity that really brings the whole family together

01:33and because you're having that much fun, you don't realise what a good physical workout you're

01:36getting. You've got to activate your core, it's really good for your strength and for your power,

01:39so it's a really good sport to actually keep yourself fit but whilst you're having fun,

01:42you don't even realise it. Anything else you'd like to add?

01:45No, again, we're here now until the 1st of September. We're open from 11 o'clock in the

01:49morning until 7 o'clock at night here in Exhibition Square. At the same time,

01:53Power Through Sport have got stuff going on all across the North East throughout the holidays,

01:56so it would just be fantastic to meet all the families, welcome everybody down here at the

01:59Metro Centre and hopefully see them at our session throughout the week as well.