Volunteers secure £150k upgrade for 'tired' ice rink

A community group that saved a 50-year-old ice rink from closure has raised £150,000 to fund a major refurbishment.

The revamp of the "tired" ice rink on Cromwell Road in Grimsby includes a full barrier replacement to keep it running for "years to come".

Grimsby Ice Rink Community Group, which took over management of the site in 2017, secured the money through fundraising and reserves.

Caroline Allan, one of the three voluntary directors, said the ice rink "wouldn't be able to continue working" without the upgrade.

The revamp is due to start on 31 July and will take about a month.

Refurbishment plans will also include installing a more economical chiller which freezes the ice, as well as general maintenance of the whole building.

Ms Allan said the sides around the ice rink were "starting to bow out" due to its age.

"Without replacing these barriers we cannot continue to work as an ice rink and wouldn't be able to play ice sports.

"It's the main infrastructure of the ice rink so we need to do this and the time is now."

Ms Allan added the goal was to protect ice sports in the area but eventually build a new rink.

A social media post by Grimsby Ice Rink said the refurbishment had come after "a huge amount of hard work and difficult decisions".

"We believe it is the single biggest thing we can do to safeguard the future of ice skating in our town," it added.

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