Britannia Cup: Watch synchronised skating on the Red Button

This is the first year of the Britannia Cup

This weekend, audiences at Nottingham's Ice Arena will have a chance to see something a little gentler than their Panthers ice hockey team pounding up and down the rink.

Instead, the arena will be home to the Britannia Cup, an event being held for the first time as part of the British Synchronised Skating Championships, with local British and foreign competitors taking part.

What is the Britannia Cup?

UK and international teams compete in a range of categories with qualification for major tournaments, including April's World Championships, at stake.

International teams will be taking part in the main event in the shape of Italy's Hot Shivers and US teams Adrian College and the Haydenettes, who are ranked 12th, 22nd and third respectively in the world currently.

As Nottingham (the arena that produced British skating royalty Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, don't forget) will also be hosting the World Junior Championships next month, younger members of the Italian squad will be looking to catch a little of the local flavour ahead of the main event.

Visiting juniors from France (Les Chrysalides), Finland (Estreija) and the Netherlands (Les Illuminettes) will also be able to do a little scouting.

It's one of Britain's up and coming sports

Britain's Icicles acquitted themselves well in last year's World Championships in Helsinki, finishing 22nd as teams from Russia (gold) and Finland (silver and bronze) took the medals.

The latest world rankings have three British teams in the top 40: The Wight Jewels are 26th, Viola 30th, and the Icicles are 31st. The Iciciles junior squad is ranked 14th in the world.

From humble beginnings to a serious sport

Although synchronised skating began in Michigan in the 1950s as intermission entertainment for ice hockey fans, it has grown into a sport that has been touted as a possible future Winter Olympic event. There are more than 600 teams in the United States.

That might not happen, but synchronised skating was included in the World University Games in Turin in 2007. This year's World Championships, the 21st edition of the event, will take place in Lake Placid in early April.

The current world powers are Russia's Team Paradise, who have won a medal at the last four tournaments, three of them golds, and Finland's Marigold Ice Unity and Rockettes, who have a similar record. Canada's NEXXICE and the Haydenettes are also among the main contenders.

Synch skaters are dedicated

If we're talking about dedication to a sport, look no further than the Isle of Wight's synchronised club. It was founded in 2005 but has been without a home rink since 2016 when their local arena in Ryde was closed down in a council dispute.

To train, the Wight Crystals, Sparkles, Jewels and Sequins (the age group teams) have to board an early-morning Sunday ferry to the mainland to train at the nearest rink in Gosport.

Their journey has been difficult, but they have fared better than the Wightlink ice hockey team, forced to pull out of the national league in mid-season in 2016 after the Ryde Arena was closed, and who have since folded.

Is it an inclusive sport?

Very much so. The estimated 850-plus competitors in Nottingham range in age from a two-year-old called Helen in the Inverness-based Highland Pups squad, to sprightly pensioner Joyce Dunn, who will be out on the ice for Stirling's Starlight Tornado at the age of 70.

This year the event has a specific 'inclusive' category and the inspirational Team Spice, a group made up of children and young people with a variety of special needs, including Asperger's, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, will be making their latest appearance.