TWO Stirling skaters have made history as they competed in the first ever Scottish team to represent Great Britain in the World Junior Synchronised Skating Championships.

Eilidh Thomson, 18, and Katie Ferguson, 19, skated alongside fourteen other teammates as part of the Solway Stars group at the finals in Angers, France.

The team set a new British Junior World personal best and placed 15th out of a total of 23 teams.

The two girls are both long-standing members of Starlight Syncrho Club, based in Stirling, where they first developed their passion for synchronised skating.

Eilidh, also a member of the Stirling New Figure Skating Club, said: “Being part of the first Scottish team to compete in the ISU World Junior Championships was a dream come true.

“The atmosphere from the skaters and the crowd was amazing. Everyone was so supportive.

“The feeling of stepping out onto the ice to represent your country with all your teammates has to be one of the best feelings.”

For the past two years, every week, Eilidh and Katie have also travelled to the Dumfries Ice Bowl to train with their teammates in Solway Stars.

Katie began her ice skating journey when she was 10, with Active Stirling and joined the Skate UK Learn to Skate programme at The PEAK.

She said: “To represent Great Britain is a dream come true and a feeling I will never forget.

“Stepping onto the ice with my teammates was magical and to know you get to share the experience with your friends is amazing.

“The competition was nothing like I have ever experienced before. All the skaters were so supportive and the crowd was ecstatic.”