BASINGSTOKE skaters got the chance to rub shoulders with the sport’s elite when the Professionals on Ice Show came to north Hampshire last weekend.

It proved to be a great hit with a sell-out crowd at the Basingstoke Arena, as the stars from Dancing on Ice, along with celebrity skaters Sam Attwater and Suzanne Shaw, wowed the crowds.

The show was part of a nationwide tour and professional skater Matt Evers said: “We are all disappointed that Dancing on Ice is not coming back, so it makes even more important for shows like this to keep the profile of the sport going.

“We love figure skating and hope evenings like this inspire others to take up the sport.”

He added: “I was really pleased to be able to include local skaters in each show and so far the tour has been going really well, with sell-out crowds.”

The show proved extra special for band The Scheme and their Winklebury guitarist Billy Phillips, as professional skater Evers and his celebrity partner Shaw skated to their new single Sick of You.

Phillips said: “We are friends of Matt and when we heard he was skating to the song and there was a show in Basingstoke we had to come down. It was awesome hearing it and seeing them perform to it. It is not released until November 17.”

All the Basingstoke skaters from the show, plus a lot more, will be in action at the Basingstoke Open next week, which runs from Monday until Wednesday between 8am and 6pm, on each day at the Basingstoke Arena.

The next ice show at the venue is the Basingstoke Ice Skating Club’s Christmas Show, which is on the weekend of December 13 and 14 and is called Broadway on Ice. Tickets for this are on sale from the Basingstoke Arena box office on 01256 355266.