Those of a certain generation will remember scooters being a fad of the Nineties and Noughties, the present every child had on their Christmas list before the craze faded, and the once new-fangled scooter receded into obscurity.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth for Tom Terry and his two sons, for whom scooter riding is so much more than a mere past-time or after-school hobby.

Austin, six, and TJ, eight, are demonstrating the scooter-riding craze is very much still alive.

Austin has the unique honour of being a world-record holder for the youngest person ever to perform a back-flip on a scooter.

The record is due to be ratified by Guinness World Records next month.

The thought of your six-year-old son doing backflips on a scooter is enough to make most parents’ stomachs churn with fear but Mr Terry, like his sons, is pretty fearless.

When asked just how young Austin managed a feat at such a young age, Mr Terry, who is a police officer, had a simple explanation.

He said: “His mind just hasn’t registered the fear.

“What TJ and Austin are achieving is quite impressive in terms of their age, and for Austin to be doing these kinds of tricks at six years old is unheard of.”

The two boys, who both go to Myland Primary School in Colchester, have been riding scooters for a couple of years even though there is a lack of facilities for their level of the sport.

Every three weeks, the Terry family makes the 200-mile round trip to Corby to make use of Adrenaline Alley, Europe’s largest urban sports venue.

The rest of the time they frequent skateparks in the likes of Witham, Harwich, Sudbury and Colchester Leisure World after Austin and TJ finish school.

And, as Mr Terry explains, there is an advantage to dotting around different parks, rather than practising at the same venue week in, week out.

He said: “Some parks will have a jump box so that they can do tricks, others will have a bowl area – like a kind of half pipe – where you can do tricks out of the top of the ramp.

“Every ramp is different – you’ve got to learn how to adapt to each one.”

What is clear from talking to Mr Terry is that Austin and TJ have a dad who knows the sport, owing largely to the evenings he spent down at the skate park as a youngster himself.

“I used to go to skateparks all the time when I was a kid,” he said.

When I ask what kind of tricks and techniques are involved in scooter riding, Mr Terry reels them off one by one.

“There’s the bri whip, the triple whip air, the feeble grind, the straight bri, the back flip… there are loads.”

Naturally, he does worry when his sons are careering through the air with nothing to break their fall, but he explains it is only natural to get a bit nervy.

“You’ve always got that nervous side if it goes wrong – but you can hurt yourself doing anything in any sport, and you have to take those little risks for your confidence to grow.”

Although his sons have the talent and commitment, what the youngsters really need now is a facility where they can practise in winter.

As such, Mr Terry is doing everything he can to see Essex have its own indoor skate park, and is looking to set up a community interest company.

“We’ve got a few people on board who want to help for different reasons – we’re going to create a community interest company, but one of the hardest things is finding a venue.

“We’ve got all the contacts but we need funding as well.”

Mr Terry, who is looking to increase the level of participation for scooter riding in Colchester, is contactable on colchesterskateandscoot@outlook.com for anyone who is looking to get involved in the sport or project.