Montrose will soon have its own ice skate park after Angus Council approved plans for the Traill Drive development, but ice skaters are set to fight on until lighting is installed as part of the construction.

Angus Council’s development standards committee met to discuss whether or not to give its approval to a planning application to build an ice skating park at the Ashie car park at Traill Drive. With a tender specification already agreed upon, the approval will now result in the council issuing tenders for the project.

It was the second time the Montrose Skate Park Committee had had to wait with bated breath for the local authority to give ice skating facility its approval.

The approved plan does detail plans for outdoor lighting for the ice skate park, but that will not be included in the development at this stage after the authority’s neighbourhood services committee last month refused to include lighting as part of the tender specification.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Montrose SNP councillor Sandy West said he hoped the development standards committee would give the scheme its approval, despite earlier rulings by the council’s Alliance administration.

In her annual report, ice skate park committee chairperson, Kathleen Ritchie, said 2008 had been a traumatic year, but commended the committee for their patience and perseverance.

In addition, Mrs Ritchie said the council’s refusal to approve lighting for the new ice skating park raised concerns that members of the Alliance were not concerned with the safety of young people.

The two local ice skating teams were celebrating as they were given their brand new ice skating uniforms by a local energy plant and Dumfries and Galloway council.

The Solway Stars and Solway Eclipse synchronised ice skating teams competed the previous week and were provided with the uniforms after they wrote letters asking for financial backing.

Magnox North, at Chapel Cross donated 35 fleeces to the two teams, while Dumfries and Galloway Council gave the girls new skirts to wear.

The chairperson of both teams, Janet Brown, stated that the members of both teams were delighted at hearing the news of the new uniforms. She also added that the girls loved their new ice skating uniforms and she felt proud to watch them wearing the uniforms.

Both ice skating teams are made up of girls between the ages six and sixteen. They were competing in front of a 1,000-strong crowd at the Scottish Championships in Dumfries the previous weekend.

The girls are now preparing for the National Skating Championships due to take place in Sheffield in February.

People of York witnessed the official opening of their open-air ice skating rink on 14th November at the Eye of York below Clifford’s Tower for the fourth year in succession. Organiser Maria Farrugia says that more than 45,000 people took to the ice last Christmas, more than 110,000 visited it since it was first organised and the bookings this year were strong again.

James Cundall, chief executive of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, the company behind The Ice Factor said that they had tried to perfect the festive experience that every visitor of the only real ice skating rink in Yorkshire would experience with the help of new discounts and school partnerships.

Maria also added that their opening night was as eclectic as the previous year, with guest appearances from Leah Bracknell, star of Emmerdale, who appeared in a Grand Opera House pantomime and African drummers to start off the season with a bang. She claimed that Ryan Thornton was the star of the evening with a skating piece especially choreographed for The Ice Factor.

The ice skating rink opened for the public from 15th November, 2008 at 10am, with hour-long sessions daily (except Christmas Day) until 9.45pm on Sunday, January 4.

Ice skating is synonymous with Christmas. The New Year festivities would not be complete without ice skating. An excellent sport, ice skating is included in the Olympics; but the most important fact is that ice skating comes at a time when it is needed the most.

In the winter months when all other sports are unplayable for obvious reasons, ice skating comes as a welcome and a healthy activity for bored and restless children.

Ice skating exercises the muscles and is ideal for growing children and those wanting to lose weight. While other forms of exercising such as the gym can be boring, ice skating is one of the most enjoyable ways of exercising and staying fit.

Times Square is the place to be during Christmas. Skating@Life will be in Times Square this Christmas. Skating@Life has already started from Saturday, November 8 and will continue to February 22, 2009. With the 10 cm thick ice skating rink, skating here is a pleasure and the 50 metric tons of water and 3 days that go into making this possible are definitely worth it for the smiles that they bring to people’s faces.

One thing can be said with certainty that ice skating is a sport that imparts the festive spirit of Christmas to everyone.

It is that time of the year when water turns to ice and out come the winter boots. It is time for ice skating. At a time when children are left bored and restless as all the other forms of sports like cricket, football, rugby and others are left unplayable because of the ice, ice skating comes as a welcome change.

Comprising of a team of 10 men, 4000 litres of water and 4 days, Basildon’s ice skating rink is due to open on Saturday 22nd November. An Olympic sport, ice skating is also beneficial as a health sport for everyone. For those wanting to lose weight and who hate to exercise, ice skating is the perfect solution. Coasting leisurely on thick ice, ice skating also helps build up your leg muscles, balance and body co-ordination.

With a grand opening of ice hockey and figure skating, the ice skating rink will be open till April. The agenda for the opening day is ice hockey at 10:30am, the ribbon cutting ceremony and the cast of Cinderella figure skating at 10:45am and will conclude with free skating for 300 people at 11am. The ice skating rink will remain open from 10am to 10pm every day and will cost £8 for adults and £6 for children (under 16). The family ticket is valued at £24 per hour.

Ice skating is synonymous with the Christmas spirit and we have always had a special place in our hearts for ice skating, from Home Alone to Little Women.

In winter, when there are many children who have nothing to do and are bored, ice skating comes as a perfect getaway. Now children can get their required exercise, while the same time having fun with the help of ice skating.

Ice skating is not only limited to children, but adults as well. A nice long skating session is sure to wash away all your stress and rejuvenate you, getting you in the right mood and feeling the festive spirit.

Sports help to create and establish a balance between the mind and the body, and ice skating, which is also an Olympic sport, does this perfectly. Demanding balance and concentration, this is a great holiday activity for restless, energetic children.

For those wanting to lose weight and who have been deprived of their usual jogging tracks because of winter, ice skating is a great sport as the constant use of legs helps in toning up your body and many people also find ice skating a calming activity.

Redditch inhabitants have been greeted with a great Christmas gift, a new synthetic ice skating rink. This new ice skating rink which costs £29,500 is being paid for by the Redditch council and this facility will be located outside the Kingfisher Centre from Monday, 15th December 2008 to Sunday, 4th January 2008.

According to council leader, Carole Gandy, people who have never tried ice skating before now have a great opportunity and it is one thing that she herself is eager about.

Come winter, all sports come to a halt; however, the new ice skating rink will give the youngsters a great chance to get some exercise, while at the same time have fun.
The location for this ice skating rink is ideal and as the rates are also affordable, a lot of people are expected at this week long event.

A hot food stall and a mini fair are set next to the rink where the people can relax after a session of ice skating and get in the festive spirit.

Keith Horton, the General Secretary of the National Ice Skating Association has urged people to go and try it out, labeling it as a great fun filled experience.

Not many people live near an ice skating rink and for those who have never tried ice skating before, this temporary facility offers the perfect solution. Since synthetic ice skating rinks do not let you fall over easily, it is perfect for amateurs and those who just simply want to have fun.

With tickets priced at an affordable £3, including the hire of the skates, this ice skating rink is sure to add to the Christmas spirit.

Ice skating has always been popular and it is often associated with the Christmas spirit where people get an opportunity to gather and socialise and soak in the festive mood.

People are eagerly waiting and the Ice World Skating Club is adamant to not disappoint them when they start their 2008-2009 session in November. With family sessions and disco sessions on Thursday and Friday respectively at Suttieside Road, Forfar, the organisers are expecting a great response.

According to Club President Ally Millar it is because of the enthusiastic volunteers that the club has tasted success on many occasions.

The ‘Learn to Skate’ program that was introduced was directly responsible for the new members that have entered the club and with the ‘Family Hour’ on Thursday, various new entrants and families can engage in socialising.

Raw talent is encouraged and also coached well, for there are two S.I.H.A coaches on hand. The 30 minute session costs just £6.

This season, however, there will only be the ‘Learn to Skate’ sessions on offer.

To see the Suttieside Road rink as a talent pool for young enthusiasts and to promote more of ice sports, is what the Ice World Skating Club wants.

Nobody will miss Lavender Hill’s Asda car park, and come 24th November an ice skating rink will be in place of the car park. This ice skating rink will be in place for a week and Anthony Laban, leader of Lavender Hill Traders Association, is hoping that this ice skating rink will be the perfect rejuvenating activity for people of this area, meaning more business for local traders. Since the ice skating rink will be synthetic, you do not have to worry about getting wet, as this skating rink is made of high slip synthetic resin.

Schools in Wandsworth area have been invited and the organisers hope to see an audience of over 10,000 skaters. The money that will be raised at this event will be donated to the local charity, the Devas Club which holds events and classes for children in Stormont road.

Not many people have lived next to an ice skating rink and this rink will give many the opportunity to try ice skating for the first time. Also, in winter, when children have nothing to do, when sports are unplayable, ice skating is an activity that can give them much needed exercise.

A number of ice skating rinks will be opening in London this year and some of them are-

• Somerset house
• Natural history museum and Kew gardens
• Winter wonderland in Hyde Park

The first to open is at the Natural History Museum on November 6, 2008.

Ice skating has always been a big winter sport having different variations such as dancing, acrobatics etc. However, even simple ice skating is a pleasure for those who have done it. When in winter, children are left with nothing to do but loiter as they cannot play other games like cricket, football, hockey etc, ice skating comes as a welcome change.

Not many people live next to an ice skating rink. However, residents of Lynn cannot complain, as ice skating is just a few days away. The ice skating rink which has always been a part of the festive scenario at Lynn, has this time been shifted to a different venue.

Vancouver Quarter, next to Westgate department store will be the new location of the Eco Ice-Skating rink and it will be on from Friday November 21st 2008 to January 4th, 2008.

Earlier, the ice skating rink which was a big draw used to be at the Lynn Tuesday Market Place. However, due to parking space crunch and the frequent traffic jams, the location has now been shifted.

Late night shoppers can also rejoice, for this ice skating rink will be open till late night on Thursdays and Fridays. The ice skating rink which can accommodate 60 people can also be booked.