Bournemouth to receive Christmas ice rink

BOURNEMOUTH will be getting an outdoor ice rink this Christmas, it has been confirmed.

Set in the Lower Central Gardens, the temporary open-air real ice rink will be surrounded by decorations and Christmas lights for all to enjoy, from December 4 through to January 6.

It has been commissioned by the Bournemouth Town Centre BID, and but will be operated by BH Live, the leisure and cultural trust behind entertainment venues such as the BIC and Bournemouth Pavilion.

They have also financially backed the rink, along with Bournemouth Council, and it is hoped that it will be just one part of a campaign to promote the shops, bars and restaurants, which the area has to offer.

Tony Brown, Town Centre BID chairman, said: “There’s nowhere else quite like Bournemouth, with its incredible mix of things to do, places to eat and of course, shop. Add a fantastic Christmas ice rink and who would want to go anywhere else?”

Andy Duck, vice chairman of the Town Centre BID, also says that it is fantastic news for the town.

He said: “We will have two this year, with the one indoors at the BIC as well.

He added: “It will be fantastic if the weather is nice and it will be a great way of enjoying the area.

“It is great for the BID, but we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of the Council, BH Live and the Lower Central Gardens Trust.

“It is more for our immediate catchment area, such as Southbourne and Winton, to not only come and enjoy themselves on the ice rink, but also support our local businesses, shops, restaurants, cafes and bars.”

It will accommodate around 100 skaters at a time, and will not only feature family-friendly sessions throughout the day, but also aims to appeal to night-owls and nightclub-revellers, with special late night time slots.

The Town Centre BID, which is paid for by a levy on businesses, aims to promote and represent the area, to both the people who live in the area and visitors from across the country.

Comments(14)

Benniestewart says...
11:29am Sat 20 Oct 12

CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND
Fantastic news the best location
accessible to all visitors but more
importantly all our residents
All of the Big Cities and Towns have
a Christmas Wonderland attracting
huge amounts of people
Fireworks and Roasted Chestnuts on the Beach How many Towns can offer this diversity

spooki says...
11:43am Sat 20 Oct 12

If only we had a proper, permanent ice rink. Oh, hang on, we USED to.

Tom 'Boscombe' Jones says...
11:54am Sat 20 Oct 12

I wonder who's on the board of BH Live. They seem to get a lot of council money. Is using the bid money in this way just a case of favouratism by avoiding a proper tendering process for event management companies? Isn't there supposed to be an investigation into council practices following the scandalous conclusions of an audit that was buried for 2 years. It's a real shame that the echo doesn't do investigative journalism. I might as well go back to reading the advertiser.

John T says...
11:59am Sat 20 Oct 12

Who is going to pay all the compensation claims? Not the Council Taxpayer again, I hope.

Justin666 says...
12:08pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Ice rink open for night time revellers in Bournemouth. With its' reputation this would seem a positive and guaranteed recipe for disaster.

rico2012 says...
12:12pm Sat 20 Oct 12

@Tom 'Boscombe' Jones. I doubt there is any other businesses with the infrastructure already in place to deal with the ticket selling. In which case would you still need to tender? I'm also not sure BH Live will make any money on this project. All the board members are listed on the BH Live website I believe...

addntox says...
12:22pm Sat 20 Oct 12

The article fails to mention that BHLIVE have two rinks in operation the outdoor one and the one in the bic this xmas.

Glashen says...
12:59pm Sat 20 Oct 12

addntox wrote:
The article fails to mention that BHLIVE have two rinks in operation the outdoor one and the one in the bic this xmas.
" Andy Duck, vice chairman of the Town Centre BID, also says that it is fantastic news for the town.

He said: “We will have two this year, with the one indoors at the BIC as well. "

!

Tom 'Boscombe' Jones says...
2:02pm Sat 20 Oct 12

rico2012 wrote:
@Tom 'Boscombe' Jones. I doubt there is any other businesses with the infrastructure already in place to deal with the ticket selling. In which case would you still need to tender? I'm also not sure BH Live will make any money on this project. All the board members are listed on the BH Live website I believe...
ah yes thanks interesting bunch former newsquest MD that runs the echo Bob Boulton, also on Bournemouth 2026, a couple of local councillors ... no surprises then.

Don't think they're selling tickets for the rink, I think its turn up and pay on site, the vacancy for Ice rink Marshal asks for Applicants to have "cash handling experience.".

Why exactly do we need a second icerink in this area, especially a weather dependant one.

GAHmusic says...
6:04pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Glashen wrote:
addntox wrote:
The article fails to mention that BHLIVE have two rinks in operation the outdoor one and the one in the bic this xmas.
" Andy Duck, vice chairman of the Town Centre BID, also says that it is fantastic news for the town.

He said: “We will have two this year, with the one indoors at the BIC as well. "

!
Is he related to Ed Duck from the telly?

fairlylocal says...
6:53pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Tom 'Boscombe' Jones wrote:
rico2012 wrote:
@Tom 'Boscombe' Jones. I doubt there is any other businesses with the infrastructure already in place to deal with the ticket selling. In which case would you still need to tender? I'm also not sure BH Live will make any money on this project. All the board members are listed on the BH Live website I believe...
ah yes thanks interesting bunch former newsquest MD that runs the echo Bob Boulton, also on Bournemouth 2026, a couple of local councillors ... no surprises then.

Don't think they're selling tickets for the rink, I think its turn up and pay on site, the vacancy for Ice rink Marshal asks for Applicants to have "cash handling experience.".

Why exactly do we need a second icerink in this area, especially a weather dependant one.
Why does 'need' have to come into it at all?
If this gets done properly it's going to look beautiful and be a very good tourist attraction!

praelis says...
11:09am Sun 21 Oct 12

Its all very well our council trying to immitate london..just hope they make sure its as safe as the london one. Also when are they gonna blow up the I-saw for real? that would make me smile, and if they put an indoor rink back in to westover road where it used to be instead of wasting the money neccesary to upkkep it, then im sure that Buster Merryfield would smile upon the council from on high as both he and Robin Cousins signed the petition to keep it open once before. it would also provide all year round activites for the resident population of Bournemouth and the surrounding area if they did that instead of just seasonal for the tourists.

ShuttleX says...
4:50pm Sun 21 Oct 12

Is this the same rink that they had in Boscombe a couple of years ago? The one that cost about £5 for a few minutes. The one that didn't work most of the time as the ice could not be kept at correct temperture? The one that people kept getting injured on due to "dead spots" in the ice? The one that sat there for weeks unable to be used? I hope not.

Bournefre says...
9:11pm Mon 22 Oct 12

spooki wrote:
If only we had a proper, permanent ice rink. Oh, hang on, we USED to.
Why not just make it permanently Christmas? People like Christmas, especially children.

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree