A roller skating club based in Ely and Soham has been awarded a grant worth £9999 from the National Lottery Community Fund.

Cambridgeshire Artistic Roller Skating Club (CARSC) became a registered charity this year and successfully applied for the grant to assist with the running of club expenses.

Like many clubs, CARSC suffered financially during the pandemic, but thanks to the grant, the club can keep costs low for its young and successful skaters.

Diane King, CARSC chair of trustees, said: "We were a buoyant club with many social and club skaters before the Covid pandemic, but have suffered financially due to the lockdowns.

"The National Lottery Community Fund have awarded the club £9,999 to assist us with our running expenses for the coming year. The grant is called the CARSC Covid Recovery Scheme.

"Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, we will be able to keep our costs to skaters low despite the cost-of-living crisis, which is consistent with our club values."

The club said it would not be raising its prices over the next year thanks to the Community Grant, which will give current and new skaters the best chance to train and develop.

Under the guidance of head coach Zoë King, who has represented Great Britain in Roller Dance, skaters can train in figures, freestyle and dance.

Members at CARSC include skaters of all ages, and the club has had great recent successes in national competitions, British Championships and the National Roller Cup.

Skater Darcie Flack came third at the British Championships this year, and Linayah Jackson-Philips and Ashleigh-Rose Ingram are in the semi-finals for the National Roller Cup later this year.

CARSC also host 'Learn to Skate and Fun Skate' sessions which are open to anyone, regardless of age, skating ability and disability, and can be attended on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Diane said: "Many of our adult skaters have gone on to join our “Improvers” sessions and have competed at national events.

"However, there is no pressure to compete, and all sessions can be attended for fun only."

The club have since received a big cheque from the National Lottery and plans on unveiling the cheque to the skaters soon.