It was exactly 17 years ago that Rachael Ley-Smith took part in a campaign to protect the Top Rank Ice skating rink in Southampton from being turned into flats. She was pictured presenting the petition to the mayor as a 3 year old ice skater. Now, after almost two decades, she is back for the same cause.

The battle for saving the ice rink has gained a lot of momentum in the last few months. More than 35000 signatures have been made in a petition by protestors to fight off the developers from building the land.

However, the petition was not enough as the protestors were only promised that the ice rink would be developed somewhere else.

Rachael said that it was very disappointing to see that the city still has not got an ice skating rink. She loved skating over there and would want her children to be able to enjoy ice skating locally too.

Rachael, who is an optometrist by profession, hopes to join the march on Friday August 22, exactly 20 years since the closing down of the old ice skating rink.

She said that it would be amazing to have the ice skating rink back in Southampton. People fail to realise the popularity of ice skating.

Tony Barron, Rachael’s father was an ice skating instructor at the Top Rank ice rink. She said that his father, who has moved to Milton Keynes, would love to come back for ice skating in Southampton.