Eve Muirhead's shock as 'home of Scottish curling' faces closure

Eve Muirhead joined the Dewars Centre's volunteer board of directors in November 2022

Olympic curler Eve Muirhead says she is shocked at plans to close the Perth ice rink where she began her career.

Perth and Kinross Council want to close the Dewars Centre and two other facilities and create a new centre which would not include an ice rink.

It said Dewars was used mainly for curling and indoor bowling, which only account for 3% of sports use in Perth.

Muirhead said it was "a real shame to see such an iconic venue potentially close its doors".

Councillors will be asked next week to consider recommendations to bring together leisure provision in Perth on to one site "to ensure future affordability and provision".

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The review recommends creating one centre, providing a 25m, eight-lane pool, fitness gym, sports hall, studios and family play activities but no ice rink.

The new centre would replace Dewars, Perth Leisure Pool, and the Bell's Sports Centre.

Perth-born Muirhead led the Great Britain women's team that won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

She joined the centre's volunteer board of directors in November 2022.

She told BBC Scotland News: "It has definitely come as a shock, especially considering the rich history at Dewars ice rink.

"It's known to many as the home of curling in Scotland for a reason, and it has been an integral part of many curlers' careers, including my own."

The centre is billed as the "home of Scottish curling"

The Olympian said she had spent a lot of time at Dewar's over the years, and it had played a "significant role in my journey."

She added: "I truly hope that something can be done to preserve venues like this going forward."

Curling runs at Dewars, which bills itself as "the home of Scottish curling" between October and April.

Scottish Curling said Perth was an integral part of the curling community, with more than 50 clubs and 700 curlers using the facility.

Its chief executive Vincent Bryson said: "We knew a year ago that the dialogue regarding economic viability of curling and ice sports at Dewars in general was something Perth & Kinross council were concerned about.

'We obviously do not want to lose any venue and will be engaging with the council and Live Active Leisure throughout January."

The nearest alternative rinks are at Kinross and Dundee.

Perth and Kinross Council said that the three existing centres need at least £18m of capital investment over the next three years, in addition to their running costs and annual £4m contribution from the local authority.

Council leader Grant Laing said: "Three sports centres in Perth require significant investment and while we understand the affection many have for both Dewars and Bell's, maintaining these ageing facilities is an expense it is difficult to justify.

"As well as physical maintenance, each building has significant energy costs and there is little that can be done to address these given the age of both facilities."