The European Figure Skating Legacy project, an innovative project which was created to help young people in Sheffield to learn how to skate, has been selected as a finalist in the 2026
Move More Awards.

The project, which was a joint initiative between Sheffield City Council, Everyone Active, British Ice Skating and UK Sport, has been nominated for the Community Project of the Year category.

On being nominated for this award, the partnership manager at Everyone Active Lorenzo Clark said: “being nominated for this award is an amazing honour that celebrates our strong partnerships, fantastic colleagues and the extraordinary young people we support at our facilities.”

“We’re incredibly proud to have participated in this inspiring project and to have welcomed so many children to Ice Sheffield and the English Institute of Sport Sheffield to offer them the opportunity to engage in ice skating, athletics and dance.”

A programme of activities was launched by the European Figure Skating Legacy project to engage residents, schools and communities and ensure opportunities were available to be a part of the historic ISU Figure Skating European Championships in Sheffield.

To mark the European Championships, which took place between 13th-18th January, the project saw more than 600 children from 16 schools skate, dance and engage in athletics at Ice Sheffield and the English Institute of Sports Sheffield (EISS).

On the impact of both the project and the European Championship, Councillor Mohammed Mahroof, Chair of the Economic Development, Skills and Culture Committee at Sheffield City Council said: “We’re delighted that this project has been shortlisted for a Move More Award. Bringing the European Figure Skating Championships to Sheffield created a fantastic opportunity to inspire young people, and this programme has done exactly that.”

“By working closely with Everyone Active, British Ice Skating and UK Sport, we’ve helped thousands of children try something new, build confidence and get active in a fun, inclusive way. Being recognised in this way is a real credit to everyone involved.”

In total more than 10,000 young people across Sheffield were invited to join in the legacy programmes' activities, with youngsters aged between 6 and 12 years old taking part in activities at venues run by Everyone Active (in partnership with Sheffield City Council).

As part of the programme, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Ice Sports Open Days and school visits attended Defying Gravity at IceSheffield.

The programme ended with a six-week “learn to skate” initiative, which took place from January until Friday 13th March, which gave children from local schools the chance to try ice skating and break down participation barriers.

On the project receiving this recognition, the CEO at British Ice Skating, Maggie Still said: “It’s fantastic to see the European Figure Skating Legacy project recognised in this way. Bringing the excitement of the ISU European Championships to young people in Sheffield and giving so many children the chance to step onto the ice and experience this exciting sport for the first time is exactly the kind of lasting impact we wanted the event to have.”

“By working together with Sheffield City Council, Everyone Active and UK Sport, we’ve been able to inspire the next generation of skaters while breaking down barriers and making ice sports more accessible to communities across the city.”

The Move More Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday 17th April which will see the awards that ‘celebrate the remarkable efforts of individuals and communities in promoting sport, exercise and physical activity across Sheffield’ recognising and celebrating the nominees and winners of their awards.