Shake ‘n’ Skate, a newly-founded, family-run business that allows people of all ages to try their hand at roller blading, is coming to Kingsbridge.

The roller discos are starting from February 4th and will take place every Saturday morning from 10am to 12pm at the Quayside Leisure Centre.

The new initiative was set up by Ivybridge couple Chris and Carole Mitchell, who have three young children.

Carole explained how the roller skating venture was an idea inspired by her family and the Covid-19 pandemic: “Recent lockdown times have seen us pushed together and we realised how well we gel as a family. My husband and I have always thought one day it would be good to run a business together and we liked the idea of starting a business locally. During a recent holiday to Cornwall, we visited a soft play which had a roller skating area,  (our children’s favourite hobby) and we all had a go. Turns out hubby still remembered how to skate from his teens, so we joked and said let’s do something like this, but the idea stuck.”

The family have already implemented their roller disco in Ivybridge, and are now branching out further afield so that locals in Kingsbridge can join in the fun, too.

Carole said: “We launched our first roller disco on a Friday evening in Ivybridge in October and had a huge positive response from locals. We are very excited to be able to offer our roller disco to the lovely Kingsbridge residents. So far the response has been great and we hope it give the community something fun to do that they can enjoy.”

The couple have also expanded their business to smaller, private events and have been working with schools to ensure that roller skating is something that is accessible to all:

 “This year we have launched private hire parties for birthdays etc.  influenced by our children telling us what would make them perfect... we have also started to work with the local schools to provide children with the opportunity to learn to skate.”

The establishment of this new business endeavour has not been an entirely unchallenging process, however.

Carole said: “If we are honest we thought it would of been a bit easier than it has been, there are things we have had to consider that we didn’t even think about before, like storing and arranging the skates, and a lot of documentation and health and safety research.” But she explained that the pair, “have learned so much along the way, not just about business but about us as a family. It’s been great to have everyone’s input and for the children to see their idea become a reality.”

The roller disco is open for all ages, and allows both children and adults to unwind and experiment with their best dance moves.

Carole added: “We welcome anyone who wants to come along. We want to give adults a chance to re-live their youth, offer teenagers something to do and somewhere to go of a weekend, and encourage the younger generation to learn to skate.

“Who knows where this will take us but for the time being we aim to try and enjoy the experience ourselves as a family and show our children that anything is possible.”

The family hope this will offer something different for the local people of Kingsbridge, and will help to bring the community together.

They assure first-time skaters that the discos are accessible for everyone: “Whether you are a pro on skates, or a complete beginner, dust your skates off, or hire a pair of ours for the evening, and show us your best moves at our new Roller disco.”

Skate hire is available from child size 9 up to an adult size 12, or people can bring their own. Payment is available on the door with cash or card and no booking is required.