South Ayrshire Council working with Ayr Curling Club 'at pace' to save Ice rink
South Ayrshire Council says it's keen to keep the ice rink open, and are offering a business review and energy audit.
South Ayrshire Council say they are looking into ways to prevent the closure of Ayr Ice Rink in October.
Ayr Curling Club announced the closure last week after an anticipated rise in energy bills of 110%.
Crippling energy costs have already set the venue back £153,000 this year alone, and the club say they’re expecting to pay around £880 a day for energy compared to the current £419.
In their statement last week, Ayr Curling Club said the only viable way of staying open would be to have new build ice rink. However after chasing the council on this for a year on that possibility they accused the local authority of giving them ‘hollow’ words.
However, South Ayrshire Council is now saying they’ve been in contact with the club for a number of months and they are now exploring avenues to help the rink stay open.
Saving the rink would then prevent the 500 members from around 30 clubs on losing out on their hobbies or full time sport.
South Ayrshire Council say they’re offering a full business review of Ayr Ice Rink and an energy audit.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: ““In light of Ayr Curling Club’s decision to close Ayr Ice Rink in October, we have written to their Board to offer support which could help prevent the closure of the facility.
“We have been in discussions with the club for a number of months in relation to their potential future delivery model. Most recently, we have offered to provide full support through our Economy & Regeneration team which will include a full review of the ice rink’s business plan, and carry out an energy audit to establish feasibility of energy savings and new energy sources.
“We will also work with their Board to consider potential changes to the legal structure of the organisation. The Council are keen to provide assistance to ensure that the Board are able to focus on future growth and long-term sustainability for all users of the ice rink.
“The Board have confirmed that they are willing to explore all avenues to help keep the Ice Rink open and we are now progressing at pace with appropriate Council Officers working on this to support the Board going forward.”