Thawed-out ice rink to be used for boxing and festivals

Inverness Ice Centre's rink is to be defrosted later this year

A Highland ice centre is to defrost its ice rink and turn the venue over for festivals and other entertainment in an effort to save money and raise funds.

Inverness Ice Centre said rising energy prices would see the cost of running its refrigeration plant increase from £12,000 to as much as £25,000 a month.

The rink will be ice-free for three months between April and July.

It will be used for hosting boxing events, a Callum Beattie gig and gin and whisky festivals.

The charity-run centre said the rink would be defrosted after the end of its busy curling season.

• 'We are essentially running a massive freezer'

Chief executive Gordon Barron said the charity's main focus was providing ice activities, including ice hockey and public skating sessions, but it had to balance that with generating enough funds to pay for rising electricity costs.

He said closing the rink had been a hard decision to make.

The centre held a series of inaugural events last year to help it recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic.

These included the gin and whisky festivals and a boxing event called Thriller in the Chiller.

Inverness Ice Centre first opened in 1968 and has been revamped over the years.