Nottingham Ice Stadium Recollections by Glenny Fletcher

My late husband Tom Fletcher, well known analogue turntable designer / manufacturer, who won awards around the world, was nephew to another highly creative figure: Bernard Fletcher.?Tom’s Uncle Bernard took up ice skating at Nottingham Ice Stadium in his teens, quite late for a man who was to make a professional career from his chosen sport.?Through determination and hard work, he achieved amazing goals.?At age 21 he joined the chorus of ‘Holiday on Ice’ productions for his first summer show.?In no time, he reached the role of Principal in Tom Arnold’s ‘Robinson Crusoe on Ice’, which opened in Edinburgh.

Bernard toured Europe in ice shows for 7 years, towing his luxury 22 ft caravan from country to country, entertaining audiences in theatres, rinks and Spanish bullrings.?He appeared in many dazzling ‘Holiday on Ice’ productions, working with many stars who had been world champions, such as Alain Giletti.? In the early 1960s, Bernard performed in outstanding shows like ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Wizard of Oz’, the latter came to Wembley starring Jacqueline du Bief.

?Brighton and Hove Herald, Saturday 27 July 1963, reported that the verve and precision of the Red Indian encampment number in Peter Pan would do credit to any Broadway musical.?Bernard played Red Indian Chief, Great Big Little Panther.?When Peter Pan played at Manchester, reporter Neville Wareham described the Chief as a strenuous and acrobatic skater.

Following these show skating years, Bernard went on to become the ‘Midland and Northern Counties Figure Skating Champion’ and ‘All England Free Skating Champion’.?He teamed up with Dena Hargreaves for the British pair skating title, previously held by John and Diane Hulme.?Birmingham Planet newspaper described their programme as impeccably timed and graceful.?Bernard and Dena were both instructors at Birmingham Silver Blades Ice Rink.

?Bernard and Dena, Pro Ice Pair Champions

Bernard helped John Curry with his very first skating steps and accompanied Janet Sawbridge when she went to Buckingham Palace to receive her OBE for services to British ice skating.

?After Birmingham, Bernard coached at Telford Ice Rink for many years.?Several coincidences happened when ‘Analogue Tom’ met Dr Martin Bastin during a Hi-Fi Show held at Himley Hall near Dudley.?Tom and Martin shared a huge interest in sound reproduction.?The Bastin family then lived in a Victorian house at Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, where Martin was a local GP.?They skated at Telford, taking lessons from Bernard but not realising he was Tom’s uncle. ?We noticed figure skates in the pantry of said house when we joined a buffet queue at an evening party held there.?“Who skates?”, we asked.?The connection was soon made and through the Bastin family Tom met up with Bernard at a surprise event the Bastins arranged to reunite uncle with nephew.?Although it was many years since Tom and Bernard had last been together, they recognised each other immediately and were delighted.?

Glenny with Bernard, Nottingham Rollers, 1990. Photograph by Tom Fletcher

Tom’s Uncle Bernard was a dedicated coach, carefully passing on his precision and showmanship to young skaters.?He never forgot his own first lessons at Nottingham Ice Stadium, later to be home to Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.

For many years, the British Ice Dance Championships were held annually in November at Nottingham’s Ice Stadium.?From 1967 onwards, until the event moved away, I attended every year and so was present the first time T & D won the British crown in 1978.?Jayne was remarkably sure-footed, light as air.?It was so touching to watch, tears rose, thoughts of how proud the couple’s parents must feel were overwhelming.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, British Championships, Nottingham Ice Stadium, 1978, Photograph by Glenny Fletcher.

?One Autumn afternoon, I arrived for a public session at the Ice Stadium just as Torvill & Dean were finishing their practice.?They were preparing for the forthcoming British Championships and were repeatedly perfecting a particular sequence from their routine.?Afterwards, Jayne and coach, Betty Calloway, came into the ladies changing room where various skaters were taking their skates on or off.?Beneath my blades I found a stray ten pence piece and handed it to the attendant, someone must have dropped and lost it.

? “If it isn’t claimed”, Jayne joked, “We’ll have it”.

Later Torvill & Dean accepted a ￡40,000 grant from Nottingham City Council.?When the couple skated Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ in public for the first time at the 1983 British Championships, I was lucky enough to be part of the electric atmosphere in the packed Nottingham Ice Stadium and jumped up with everyone else to applaud and applaud.?We had never seen such creative artistry and intensely dramatic interpretation, it was spellbinding.?T & D historically went on to win the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, earning all sixes.?Looking back in 2021, skaters and fans are still in awe of Christopher Dean’s brilliant choreography, the couple’s perfect alignment, their courage to question national ice dance rules, bold and innovative lifts more akin to pair skating and that they danced throughout their long programme to one piece of music Bolero, which ice dance contestants had not previously done.?

There may be a postscript to the florin on the floor find. In 2016, T & D appeared in Cinderella at Bristol Hippodrome, wearing Off IceSkates.

On 17 December, I was seated near the front of the stalls where the lighting was variable as the story unfolded.?When it came to the second half T & D were on stage and Christopher Dean suddenly pointed downwards and encouraged Jayne to look “at that gold sovereign” on the floor.?She seemed to be smiling straight at me.?I would have gone back stage to see them after the pantomime but had to hurry to catch a return train to the Midlands.?There would have been a time when Jayne might have recognised me from Nottingham Ice Stadium.?Also, both our husbands were audio engineers.?She might have known I ran Zenith Rollers in Nottingham through the noughties and beyond. ?Just don’t know whether the gold coin was a coincidence or not.

?Winter Wonderland??

Twice upon a time, I went to winter wonderland myself when I took part in magical pantomimes at Nottingham Ice Stadium: Alice in Winter Wonderland in 1994 and Sleeping Beauty in 1995.?We adult recreational skaters made a happy, energetic?team, providing an entertaining adult chorus in all our musical moods, from line dances to Rocking Around the World.?Rehearsals with Mick Wilde went on for most of the year plus regular dance lessons in my case from John Philips.?

Bright costumes filled the ice with splashes of colour during the full chorus numbers as many skaters moved intricately over the surface.?The various scenes were enhanced by the lighting effects and artificial snow.?There were nightly performances and sometimes matinees as well.?On those days all skaters were treated to a buffet between the afternoon and evening shows.?Our Sleeping Beauty finalé to There’s No Business Like Show Business was spectacular in royal blue and gold.?We linked hands firmly and skated in big circles, which became faster and faster every show.

Margaret, Scott, Barbara, Glenny seated. Photographed by Ice Stadium staff.

?Nottingham Ice Stadium was packed to the rafters, our changing room was in a cramped area up narrow stairs at the edge of the building.?Sometimes we had only moments to get our skates off for a costume change between acts.?Other times, there was a chance to go down to see the fairy tale unfold.?Leading skaters, such as Leigh Yip, Amanda Banks, Clair Wileman and Andrew Place, were amazing to watch at every performance as the music wound round to their highlights.?Scott Irving was a barrel-jumping special guest from Sun Valley, California.

?The Stadium took on the atmosphere of a theatre, with corded curtains, backdrops, props, grease-paint and against-the-clock activity.?Hard work but great, great fun - magical winter wonderland – Happily Ever After.

?Sources???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

?Bernard Fletcher’s personal album:

-??????????Birmingham Planet newspaper (Birmingham, n.d.).

-??????????Brighton and Hove Herald (Brighton, 27 July 1963).

-??????????Wareham, Neville, reporter, (Manchester, n.d.).

?Off Ice Skates, advertisement containing illus. and video of Torvill and Dean. [accessed 25 November 2021].