Skate rink bid for Chesterfield is spearheaded by founder of mobile roller disco business

Sophie Budd, founder of a mobile roller disco company in Derbyshire, is looking for a large industrial unit and funding to launch her new enterprise which would be open every day of the week. The mum of three believes that a permanent rink and associated cafe could create 20 new jobs in Chesterfield.

Her business, Roller Energy, runs weekly sessions at Queen’s Park Leisure Centre. Sophie said: “We’ve had lots of customers coming through saying how good it would be to have this permanently. We’ve heard it from adults and children and through comments posted on social media pages. We would love to bring this to the community.”

Sophie, 33, launched her business seven years ago and Chesterfield was one of the first towns in Derbyshire to welcome the roller discos. “We trialled one elsewhere in the county, did our research and thought there isn’t anything like that in Chesterfield," she said. “It’s slowly built up and has now got a very large following.”

She now has around 30 people running roller disco sessions across the county including Dronfield, Wirksworth, Buxton, New Mills and Glossop.

Because it’s not a permanent fixture, the mobile roller disco is at the mercy of venue bosses and can be cancelled at short notice should a larger, more lucrative booking be made. Sophie said: “You have families that look forward to something on a weekly basis and you can't be there. Even though we’ve tried to make them aware that it’s not on, you still get them turning up.”

Sophie, who lives in Whaley Bridge, has had a lifelong passion for skating and got into roller hockey at the age of five. She said: “I got very confident at it and started playing for a local hockey team. I taught my children from a very young age, they are now seventeen, thirteen and eight.”

Now she’s counting on her experience in the business to attract funding and premises for a permanent roller skating rink in Chesterfield.

If you can offer help, contact Sophie via email on [email protected] or call 07731848690. For further information about Roller Energy, visit www.rollerenergyuk.co.uk