Pupil's drawing wins class session on Guildhall ice rink

CHILDREN spent a morning sliding around on the ice after Elsie Bushnell won her class a session on the ice.
Elsie Bushnell won a competition to give her Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy a session at the Guildhall Ice RinkElsie Bushnell won a competition to give her Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy a session at the Guildhall Ice Rink
Elsie Bushnell won a competition to give her Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy a session at the Guildhall Ice Rink

The Year 1 pupil at Ark Dickens Primary Academy, in Portsmouth, entered the drawing competition run by Ice Skate Portsmouth – the company behind the rink on Guildhall Square.

Elsie’s picture of penguins sliding down the Spinnaker Tower was picked as the winner and she and her classmates spent yesterday morning at the rink.

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Skating along to Disney songs, the youngsters whizzed around with the use of the penguin and seal-shaped skating aids.

Caption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary AcademyCaption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy
Caption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy

Elsie, six, said: ‘I wanted my picture to show Portsmouth but also be a bit crazy. I thought of the Spinnaker Tower and thought it would be funny if the penguins were sliding down it.

‘It was fun doing the picture and I was surprised when I won. I was excited too.’

Elsie has been skating before and was confident on the ice, even without use of the skating aids.

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She added: ‘This isn’t my first time so I found it quite easy. It has been lots of fun ice skating with my friends.’

Caption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary AcademyCaption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy
Caption: Year 1 class from Ark Dickens Primary Academy

As previously reported in The News the pop-up ice rink opened on November 17.

Since then, hundreds of families, friends, couples and teenagers have given it a go.

Ark Dickens Primary School teacher Russell Lyne said it was a great opportunity for his class to visit the rink.

‘It’s been brilliant,’ he said.

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‘When we had students enter the competition we didn’t expect to hear back so when Vicky, who organised the school taking part, said we had won, it was a shock.

‘The kids have been so excited about coming along and even when we were walking to the rink, they were ecstatic.

‘A lot of the students would not have been ice skating before so they were delighted to be given this opportunity.’

He added: ‘We had quite a few falling over in the beginning but within the first 20 minutes there was a massive improvement and they got the hang of it.’

The rink is open until January 2 and people can book to use it between 10.30am and 11pm.

It holds 215 skaters and there is also the Moguls Bar selling hot food and drink next to the rink.

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