An ice skating champion and Helena Romanes School pupil has spoken about her dream to open her own skating school, in the lead up to this year’s British championships.

Jasmine Cressey, 13, was the under-16 British figure skating champion in 2016 and spends up to 16 hours training on the ice and eights hours in the gym a week.

She hopes to win the 2018 championships in November.

She said: “I was five when I started skating. I don’t remember the first time I stepped on the ice, my mum always says I spent the first six weeks just standing on the ice.

“Sometimes I do get bored of the gym, sometimes I don’t want to go, but I know I have to.

“I love the thrill of competing, I just like being on the ice, and the days that go really well and I achieve something new, that is the best part.”

Jasmine qualified for the British Championships this year, after achieving second place in her first competition of the season.

Each of Jasmine’s costumes, provided by a Russian costume company, cost about £850 and her new skates cost £760. Every season she requires two new costumes. When she was five, Jasmine had the choice to pursue ice skating, ballet or swimming.

Her mum Michaella Cressey said: “It didn’t matter to me which sport she chose. Her coaches said that she could be really good at each sport.”

She joked: “Now I’m wishing she picked swimming, it’s something like £20 for a costume!”

Jasmine said: “I think skating is a sport and an art. There is as much effort and determination as any other sport, it’s probably harder to be honest.

“I would like to do the Winter Olympics definitely, then once I have done competing I want to open my own skating school. I just like to help other people learn.” Jasmine misses a day of school a week, but catches up on work during PE lessons, which she is excused from.

Michaella said: “Every now and again Mr Wilcox (director of learning for Year 8) and I will sit down and make sure she is not falling behind in lessons.”