Alicia - Videographer

I found my passion during the pandemic.

I’m 28 years old and a videographer for the Scotland Social Services Council in Dundee. I work in the digital learning team and was the first woman to join the team 2 years ago. I would describe myself as a strong character and my role requires me to connect, emphasise and build relationships with people.

All productions came to a halt in lockdown and I struggled to adapt to continuous editing from home, wondering what the future of my job would be as the majority of it is filming people. I was eager to document, and I felt frustrated that I couldn’t go out and film the great work the social sector was doing. Technology allowed me to find other ways of communicating and as a result I worked with Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care helping them film their story.

Despite this, I felt like I was missing something. I missed social interaction, I missed going somewhere, I missed having purpose. Staring at the wall, I looked at a pair of roller skates hanging up as a decoration for almost two years. Why not give them a shot?

After a day of falling, I realised that feeling like I was a teenager, having fun, learning something new was exactly what I needed in lockdown. I had a think and came up with a charity challenge, 26 days to learn and perform a live stream dancing on my roller skates. I used my videographer skills to make a diary of my progress. In the 26 days I raised £3,000 for Theatre Nemo, who were providing art, drama and music lessons to people living with long term mental health conditions during the pandemic.

Not only did I learn a new skill but, I was able to helps others without seeing them. I connected with the charity founder, I met a community of other skaters online and I had something to focus on during a time were things seemed so foggy. After lockdown I set up a group for people learning to skate. There are 8 other woman who, like me, once felt embarrassed to skate in public, now have the support and confidence to do so.

Read the Evening Telegraph coverage of Alicia's Skate Fundraiser!