A London skating community for women is desperately looking for an indoor venue to keep the group rolling as winter approaches.
The Unserious Skater Girls Club (USGC) is a female-led community of over 1000 members, who usually meet in Hyde Park, but are now looking to secure an indoor venue to keep their skating sessions accessible and free of charge.
The club hosts free roller skating meet-ups and workshops for both beginner and experienced skaters to make friends and share their passion for the sport.
Founder of USGC, Shim, who began skating in January after receiving skates for Christmas, said: “Without the club I’d be too anxious to go out and skate on my own.
“It’s a very rewarding role to do, being able to organise events for people.
“The need for communities like this has made me more dedicated to putting all of my time and effort into it.”
The 28-year-old set up USGC after documenting her progress on TikTok connected her to a like-minded community of other female roller-skaters seeking friendship.
Shim set up a GoFundMe for the club in August to raise money for resources like first-aid supplies and an indoor venue for winter events.
The GoFundMe has reached just over half of its £500 target, which unfortunately is not enough to cover an indoor venue.
Just 82 of the 1,923 skateable spaces across the UK are indoors according to Skateboard GB.
London also accounted for around 8% of the UK’s skating facilities, despite being home to around 13% of the overall UK population.
Shim’s experience comes amid wider concerns over roller skating facilities in the capital, which includes the cost of attending indoors.
RollerNation in North London for example, costs between £13.50 to £26 depending on the event, which for a keen skater, can soon add up.
Shim said: “My dream is to be able to put on a consistent, monthly event where we can network and hopefully have a team of volunteers to help run them.
“It’s going to be impossible to skate outside soon because of the weather.
“The indoor venues are the key as it’s hard to keep things like this accessible and low cost for people.”
One member, Ifeoluwa, 19, has been skating since 2024 and has now taken on coaching responsibilities for the club after it boosted her confidence.
She said: “I wanted to meet people in London who liked skating in an environment where they didn’t feel judged or pressured.
“It took me a while to find a specific space where I could skate without being told I couldn’t or where I wasn’t safe.
“It’s really hard to find a spot where people who haven’t skated before are free to skate without being scared they’re going to be kicked out or that they might be hit by a car or someone on a bike.”
For Ifeoluwa, the club has also been a great way to donate or sell old equipment like skates and knee-pads cheaper than market value.
Another group member, who goes by the name of Meeso Rolling on socials, started skating in April last year and joined USGC after she and Shim became friends through TikTok.
She said: “It’s so accepting of everyone, regardless of your skill level, regardless of your background, regardless of anything.
“We love hanging out with our girlfriends.”
USGC’s next event, for Halloween, is taking place at Clapham Common Basketball Courts on Friday 30th October in collaboration with Common Rollerz.
Featured image Credit: Princess Omofia @prinfiaphotos
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