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Jersey roller-skate club may 'have to fold'

Ammar Ebrahim
BBC Jersey political reporter
BBC Bethany Lawrence is wearing a black empire skate club hoodie. She has blonde hair. BBC
Head coach Bethany Lawrence said the empire skate club faced an uncertain future without a venue to move to

A Jersey roller-skating club has said it may have to fold as a result of not having a new venue to move into once it leaves leave Fort Regent.

Fort Regent has been the main sports centre in Jersey for decades, but the government has decided to close it before starting a £110 million project to regenerate the building next year.

Sports clubs will have to leave Fort Regent by the end of 2025 and the government said it would help clubs move to existing sports facilities in the island.

Empire Skating Club said it was told over the last four years it would move to Oakfield Sports Centre, but recently found out the surface there was not suitable for roller skating.

'Everything to me'

Bethany Lawrence, the club's head coach, said she felt let down by the way the situation had been handled.

Ms Lawrence said: "Over the last four years we've had the correspondence saying that they're going to support us in finding a new venue after Fort Regent closes and only in the last month or two have we been given any indication that we can't go to Oakfield because the flooring is wrong."

Ms Lawrence said it would take a lot of support from the wider community to help find a suitable venue.

She added: "This club means everything to me, it's where I spend all my spare time, it's where I see all my friends and get to teach these amazing children, the kids love it and they live it and breathe it."

Darren Dupre is wearing a black hoodie with Empire skate branding. He is also wearing a black t-shirt. He is stood in a gym hall.
Assistant coach Darren Dupre said Empire skating club might have to fold if it did not find a new venue

Darren Dupre, assistant coach at Empire Skating Club said: "it's likely if we can't get the venue and hours that we need then we will have to fold.

"The chances of getting individual skaters up to championship level is going to be really difficult in a smaller venue, with a floor that's not suitable as well, we can change wheels but there is only so far you can go with that."

Jersey's Infrastructure minister, Andy Jehan, who also has responsibility for sport, said he was confident a solution could be found for the skating club, and said officers were meeting with the skating club regularly.

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