BLACKBURN Arena ice skaters produced their best ever performance at the recent British Adult Ice Skating Championships.

The squad returned with five gold medals, two silvers and a bronze to seal a successful trip to Sheffield.

And with three more skaters qualifying for next month’s British Solo Dance Championships, these are good times for the Arena.

“It terms of our adult skaters, I think that this has to be our best ever performance at a British Ice Skating Championship,” said Kathryn Hudson one of the coaches who have helped their skaters to success.

“To win so many medals and so many gold medals is a fantastic effort.

“It was a great performance by the skaters and a great effort from all the coaches who have been involved.”

Skaters from the Arena were competing in the Pre-Bronze and Bronze test levels.

And Catherine Daly was the pick of the bunch winning a personal haul of three medals.

She won a bronze in the ladies Pre-Bronze free dance then teamed up with Chorley’s Steve Monks to win double gold in the Class One Bronze pattern dance and Class One Bronze freestyle.

The Arena skaters then completed a clean sweep in the singles Pre-Bronze freestyle, Rachael Redgate winning gold in the ladies and Phil Walker doing likewise in the men’s.

And a fifth gold medal of the Championships went to Vicky Thorley and Matt Ralston in the Pre-Bronze pattern dance category.

There were silver medals for Sharon Bell in the ladies Bronze pattern dance and for Elishea Hidajat in the ladies singles Bronze freestyle.

Now the Arena will be hoping for more medal glory at the British Solo Dance Championships, also in Sheffield early next month.

Dena Fay Spencer is seeded one in the Advance Novice category and will be among the favourites to win gold while Ellen Craggs and Emily Rose Brown are also expected to challenge for more medals.

“It is great that we have three more skaters in the solo championships and we are hopeful of winning more medals.”

The skaters success has been down to a team of hard working coaches including Hudson, her husband Keith, Dawn Spendlove, Linzi Deacon and Dannielle Starkie.