My Scarborough Day - with French Dave of the Scarborollers

When I was 12, back in France, I was given roller skates for Christmas and got hooked, but you grow older, start a family and they go in the cupboard.

In my 40s, my partner wanted me to do a sports activity for my health.

She came back from a class at Scarborough rugby club one evening and said, ‘I’ve found something!’

She’d seen roller derby, a high-impact skating game, so I joined what was called the Scarborough Slammers.

Then the Slammers stopped but a quad skating group started at the YMCA on Fridays, and two years ago I took over running it as a weekly roller disco.

It’s a lot – a lot! – of fun.

On Fridays I finish work early – I’m a mechanic, based on South Cliff.

I work on cars all day – nothing to do with roller skating though they do have wheels.

At 2pm I go home for a rest and a shower.

We’ve recently started at a bigger venue, at Hawkes Health, and I get there at 7pm to sweep the hall and set up disco lights, lasers and music.

We make a big effort to create a nightclub atmosphere and we’ve also done Halloween and 80s nights.

Everyone arrives at 7.30pm and it’s a sociable environment – everybody helps one another and takes time to welcome the new people.

Often I’m the oldest (I’m 55) and most regulars are in their thirties and forties, most on old-school quad skates, though a few use blades.

Everyone skates around the outside while some of us practise dance moves in the middle.

I first saw roller dance in Barcelona at a massive skating and music festival.

It’s a bit like line dancing, where you learn a routine as a group.

I started teaching people and some of us meet at the YMCA each Tuesday to drill roller dance moves.

Two ladies who could barely skate at first are doing dance practice and they feel healthier and fitter – it’s great for wellbeing and mental health.

Two regulars help me run Scarborollers – Alan is a top tech guy who takes videos, posts online and makes posters.

Trevor is a nice kind patient face who helps me organise, and sometimes takes dance practice.

Without Alan and Trevor’s support, Scarborollers would not be the success it is and I am grateful for their involvement and friendship.

We charge £7.50 on the first visit, to cover hall hire and equipment, and a loyalty card is given, then it is £6.50 thereafter and every sixth night is free.

We skate every Friday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Hawkes Health (the old Raincliffe school sports hall on Lady Edith’s Drive).

It’s for 14s-plus but we hope to start daytime skating for parents and kids.

In two years we’ve had 300 different people through the door and we’re building a community.

We go out together, keep in touch and go to skating events in cities like Leeds and Bristol.

My social time is skating, and every Friday night I’m revived and happy – my troubles are gone.

Visit facebook.com/scarborollers

Interview: Yolanda Carslaw