“…everyone has been just flat out supportive and made me feel like I’m somewhere that I can be me, it doesn’t matter that I’m fat and old, it doesn’t matter that whilst I’ve been learning they have occasionally had to wait for me to build up the confidence to be able to hit people.”

“As adults we generally don't put ourselves in positions where we are learning new physical skills, which can make asking for help harder and doing it the actual physical thing harder too.”

“As soon as I had skates back on my feet, being in a room full of new people didn’t seem like such a scary thing.”

“YES I had a great plan... I can do it all… I thought.”

“I prioritised training because it was the only thing that made me feel...normal. “

“Without these amazing and talented people, I would not have managed to build my skills as a skater…”

“…your Roller Derby experience is truly a marathon and not a sprint!”

“I wasn’t meant to be the captain just like I wasn’t meant to be the jammer, but this is what it had come down to and I had to set up. And I did. WE WON.“

“I would recommend getting your skates on to anyone of any age – what’s the worst that can happen?!?”

“How is that better than just having a kickabout with a 5-a-side football league? I think it’s because you carry the lessons of derby into life.”

“Our post-playoffs break is now over and we're ready to knuckle down and really train our butts off in order to give us the best chance possible to continue showing everyone just how mighty Wiltshire Roller Derby is.”

“Like a track circuit on a really uneven floor, my derby journey has taken me on a succession of laps; my confidence rising and falling alongside my derby life and my personal life.”

“its okay to say I need a break, every league needs willing bodies to help keep things ticking over but your personal health and wellbeing comes first”

“You can still be part of a Roller Derby team without skates on.”

“Roller derby gave me an hour and half a week of forgetting about everything else because it took so much concentration to stand on 2 feet (Well 8 wheels).”

"I have seen skaters in our league come back from worse injuries than mine, and in a shorter space of time, so why can’t I?

"I suppose you could say that my point to all this is, if YOU take a chance and push to explore you will open up avenues that will enrich your life and fill it with purpose. It did for me.

"The moral of the story is don't put pressure on yourself and have fun. The end.

"If anyone is thinking they might be interested in officiating, either on or off skates, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

"A jammer does not make a team. A team makes a jammer. You are not on your own".

"Take your time, try not to beat yourself up and give yourself something to focus on to get better for".