Last-ditch effort to save Ayr Ice Rink from closure

Charlotte Macrae, 7, skates at Ayr Ice Rink with Kyle Figure Skating Club

An effort to save Ayr Ice Rink is under way following a huge outcry to a decision to permanently close the popular facility.

Bosses claim it will cost an extra £150,000 a year to continue operating due to increased energy costs.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition against the move and clubs that use the rink have made a series of suggestions to prevent its closure.

Now South Ayrshire Council is looking at ways to safeguard the rink's future.

Ayrshire Curlers Ltd (ACL), the rink's owners, said it was not optimistic that a solution would be found.

But it said "all avenues" would be explored to keep the facility open.

• Future of Scottish ice rinks at 'critical stage'

• Scottish Curling 'saddened' by Ayr rink closure

• 'We are essentially running a massive freezer'

Among those who have signed the petition to save the rink is Katie Macrae.

The 42-year-old teacher skated at Ayr Ice Rink as a child and has watched her seven-year-old daughter follow in her footsteps as part of Kyle Figure Skating Club.

"It was really special when I got to take Charlotte," she said. "Covid hit so she didn't get a chance to join a club until a couple of years ago and she just loves it."

"When we got the news as parents we were absolutely devastated as we understand the consequences for the children," she added.

"I told Charlotte we will do everything we can to keep the ice rink open."

Twin sisters Rebecca and Charlotte Rumsby play for Ayr Bruins under-10 ice hockey team

When Fi Lorna, 37, from Glasgow, told her daughters Rebecca and Charlotte Rumsby that the rink could be closing they cried.

The twin girls play for Ayr Bruins under-10 ice hockey team and asked their mother where the team would play if the rink closes.

"I couldn't really explain to them as it came as a real shock to all of us," Ms Lorna said.

"The team is like a family to us, everyone is so supportive. We love our little rink and will be heartbroken as will many of the other families who use it if it has to close."

The hockey club has joined Ayr Figure Skating Club and Kyle Figure Skating Club in asking ACL to stop its process of moving towards liquidation.

In a joint statement, they offered a number of suggestions aimed at safeguarding the rink's future, including opening the ice to public skating sessions.

This is something which is welcomed by Lyn Sedgeworth, an environmental health worker in Glasgow, who has been ice-skating for more than 30 years.

Lyn Sedgeworth at her first open competition at Ayr Ice Rink in 1993

She first started at Ayr Ice Rink after her father spotted an advert in a local newspaper.

"I was absolutely hooked, I was left with a lifelong hobby I don't see myself stopping anytime soon," she said.

Her father died two years ago due to cancer and although she has not been back to Ayr Ice Rink for a number of years, the news of its potential closing came as a real shock.

"It almost feels like losing another part of him. He was my best friend and the whole memory is just linked with him. It felt like a proper kick in the guts when I heard the news," Ms Sedgeworth said.

"I would love to go back to there and relieve my childhood but they don't offer sessions to the public."

However ACL's board said the measures proposed by the clubs would not be enough to save the rink.

"We note that Ayr Curling Club is not included in the joint statement. They use more than 50% of all the ice and provide more than 50% of all the income," it said.

"Discussions on the future of Ayr ice rink without consultation with its biggest customer would seem unwise."

South Ayrshire Council said it has offered to provide full support in preventing the ice rink from closing

The board said they had spent the last three months reviewing and reassessing the forecasts as well as looking into other potential income streams but believe there is no viable alternative to liquidation.

It added: "The increased energy charge applicable from 1 October is the sole reason that ACL has concluded, very reluctantly, that the business will not be viable and cannot continue trading.

"It is emphatically not what ACL want."

South Ayrshire Council said it had been in contact with ACL for a number of months over the rink's future.

"Most recently, we have offered to provide full support through our economy and regeneration team which will include a full review of the ice rink's business plan," a council spokeswoman said.

It will also carry out an energy audit to find out whether the owners can make any energy savings or find new energy sources.

She said the council would work with the ACL board to consider potential changes to the legal structure of the organisation.

"The council are keen to provide assistance to ensure that the board are able to focus on future growth and long-term sustainability for all users of the ice rink," she added.

"The board have confirmed that they are willing to explore all avenues to help keep the ice rink open and we are now progressing at pace with appropriate council officers working on this to support the board going forward."