Whilst all sensible people were out Christmas shopping, on 16th December a select band of Oakley people braved the arctic weather conditions to go ice-skating at the National History Museum, London. The event got off to a remarkable start when James Cousins arrived EARLY. I would like to say that this was such a surprise that it made Lauren Elmer speechless. Alas……!

Nicole Zoylinos was so excited by the entire occasion that she simply had to go shopping before she could go onto the ice, the result of which was the purchase of a scarf which made her bear an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Who (aka Tom Baker for those of you old enough to remember).

Jenny Thorne won the prize for being most organised, as she was the only one with a camera. Nina Walker, Katie Parker, Jon Vernazza, Alan Whitmore and Chris Roberts all skated like (very) old pros, whilst Harry Kurk – with an ear-ring in each ear which is, on all accounts (well, his) all the rage in Preston – went at an amazing speed. Peter Judge, Nic Zoylinos and Liam Stockley all showed great potential for the 2012 Olympics.

You would have thought that the one occasion when the (in)famous Rowley Canadian ice-hockey top could justifiably have made an appearance would have seen Mark proudly wearing it; but he forgot. No further questions, as the lawyer would say. Talking of pride, Sam Rowley was rumoured to be doing amazing turns which a dedicated mother should have been watching intently.

However, the call of coffee and goodies, and a nice chat with Lewis meant that maternal pride was postponed for another day.

Post-skating pizzas were enjoyed by all, and the general opinion was that the event was a huge success.

Alison Rowley