Bury St Edmunds skating rink officially opens in town centre
A group of excited students from a Bury St Edmunds school have been the first to take to the ice at the opening of a special Christmas attraction for the town centre.
The first session of the Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink at arc Shopping Centre had been booked exclusively for the youngsters from Riverwalk School.
The town’s Mayor Diane Hind officially cut the ribbon to open the highly realistic synthetic ice rink yesterday (Thursday December 14). It has been installed by Our Bury St Edmunds which runs the Business Improvement District (BID) and arc Shopping Centre with financial support from Bury St Edmunds Town Council and other partners.
Councillor Hind, who chairs the Town Council, said: “It was an honour to perform the official opening and the children were so thrilled to be the first to skate. What a wonderful end of term treat for them. I can see this being such a popular festive attraction for the town centre.”
The Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink, which will be able to cater for up to 25 skaters per session, is now open every day (except Christmas Day) in Charter Square until Wednesday January 3. It is part of the Christmas In Bury St Edmunds experience from a partnership hosting a variety of events over the festive holiday period.
Chief Executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID Mark Cordell said: “We wanted to provide some free family entertainment in the town centre for the Christmas holidays because this can be a costly time of year for many. I’m so impressed by how realistic the ice looks, while being much more environmentally friendly and of course in no danger of melting. It was wonderful to be able to welcome the school as the first users of this fully accessible activity.”
The synthetic ice rink, provided by Odin Events, is one of the most advanced available giving the closest possible experience to real ice but without the environmental impact and high energy use of keeping the rink frozen.
Allan Hassell who manages arc Shopping Centre and is also Vice-Chairman of Our Bury St Edmunds BID commented: “There has been a great deal of excitement around arc Shopping Centre in the last few days as preparations were made to open the skating rink and I know it’s going to be enjoyed by all ages, whether they have skated before or are complete beginners. It was lovely to see such enthusiasm for skating as the Mayor cut the ribbon.”
The Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink will also be supporting Gatehouse, which operates the town’s food bank, as its charity partner. During the first week of opening, at the request of the Town Council, a number of local schools and community groups have booked the ice rink for their exclusive use. The best way to discover when the rink is open to the public is to visit Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink – Our Bury St Edmunds
