BOLTON Artistic Roller Skating Club is on a roll after its members earned a string of medals and top-10 finishes in national and international events in 2016.

And head coach Nina Asquith has launched an appeal for help to propel her young skaters reach the next level.

At present, the club puts on 18 hours of training sessions a week in the sports hall at Kearsley Academy but the venue is much smaller than the rinks the girls regularly compete on.

"When we skate in international competitions the rinks are always 50m by 30m, while the hall at the academy is 20m by 18m," said Asquith, who is also the coaching officer for the National Federation of Artistic Roller Skating.

"If you imagine, our girls have to try to cram in their routines in training then suddenly have all this space to cover in competitions, it is really difficult for them to reach the same level as girls from other countries, where there are much better facilities.

"The top skaters in Europe, in places like Italy, France and Portugal, all train on 50m by 30m rinks.

"I know of small villages in Portugal that have full-size rinks that cost clubs 30 euros a month to train on.

"The going rate at much smaller venues in our country is from £45 to £60 an hour, and we have to compete with other sports like netball, football and cricket for the best times.

"It's funny because my fellow coaches from across Europe consider Britain to be a rich country, so they can't understand why we can't compete."

The Bolton club pays out more than £40,000 a year on venue fees and a fitness trainer, which is all raised by tuition fees and donations from parents.

And Nina is looking for sponsorship, both for the club and individual skaters, and even a warehouse owner than could provide a venue for their dream rink.

"As our coaches are all volunteers, all monies raised pay for club items such as music, music systems, skates, trophies, medals, training time and expenses for national and international competitions.

"We are always looking for ways to raise money to help the skaters achieve their dreams.

"If anyone would like to sponsor our club, a skater or skaters, help pay for new uniforms or even provide a space for our dream rink, we would love to hear from them.

"We are looking for someone who maybe has a warehouse that has been empty a while that they can't rent out, and we have parents and volunteers ready and waiting to help transform it so it is suitable for artistic roller skating."

Bolton ARSC skaters finished off 2016 in fine style, with six members winning seven medals – one gold, three silver and three bronze – at the Winter Solo Dance Championships, which are run by the national federation.

The club also had its most top-10 finishes – 17 – at the British Championships, while four members – Georgia Hargreaves, Holly Ryle, Hollie Asquith and Emma Thiele – made the national team for dance and three – Emma Halpin-Foden, Toby Halpin-Foden and Hollie Asquith – earned call-ups for free skating.

Hollie Asquith, meanwhile, came fifth in an international tournament in Issy, France, in Easter, where she will compete again alongside Bolton team-mate Emma Thiele this spring.

If you would like to sponsor the club or can help them find a permanent venue, call club chairman Stephen Thiele on 07917 020961.