Pupils from a special needs school had a whale of a time thanks to special aids that let them enjoy skating.

The blue beluga whale skating devices helped the children from Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy balance on the artificial skating rink at St George Skates in Somers Garden in the Olde Towne.

For Dylan Peart, 13, it was his first time out on the “ice”.

He added it had been fun to be able to share the experience with some of his classmates — and that he was looking forward to doing it again.

Others who took part were Sofia Ambrosio, 7, Rachael Brewer, 11, Jahziah Douglas-Dill, 6, Antoine Gray, 14, and Serena Van Putten, 9.

The skating trip was a surprise for the children.

“I thought it went really great — beyond my expectations, actually,” said Karlene Parker, a staff member at the academy.

“We all enjoyed ourselves — even the staff.”

It was first time she had been on the rink to skate. “It was actually fun,” she said.

She would like to take part in next year’s event to allow more pupils to enjoy the experience.

Healthcare equipment and supplies company Medical House, based in Pembroke, sponsored six of the skating aids for this year’s event.

Tinee Furbert, Medical House’s clinical consultant and occupational therapist and PLP MP for St George’s South, said: “They couldn’t do this without these skate aids. It was great to be able to provide these guys an opportunity to get on to the ice skating rink — because otherwise they probably could not participate.”

St George Skates is organised by Planning Factory Bermuda with help from sponsors Rubis and Bermuda Gas.

Kathryn Massa, president of Planning Factory Bermuda, said the skate aids were brought in to make the East End ice experience more inclusive.

She explained: “They’re great for little ones who are just learning to skate and who might want to have something to push, other little ones who can’t yet skate and can be pushed by grown-ups or bigger skaters and for children with special needs — we want them to be included as well.

“We really wanted to start growing the event to make sure that everyone knows that the whole community can come out and participate. It’s a great community event.”

St George Skates is open until January 28 next year.

For more information, visit sgs.planninfactory.com.