Ayrshire Curlers blast South Ayrshire Council over lack of ice rink in Ayr as facility shuts for good

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Bosses who this week melted the ice on one of Ayr's much-loved sporting facilities have taken a swipe at South Ayrshire Council as they shut the doors for good.The Board of Ayrshire Curlers Ltd have gone out swinging after their controversial move to close Ayr Ice Rink on Saturday.

Insisting they were "deeply saddened," the curlers said they could not be relied upon to bear sole responsibility for ice sports in the town.The Limekiln Road base has been managed by the curlers for 51 years with the likes of Ayr Figure Skating Club, Kyle Figure Skating Club and Ayr Bruins Ice Hockey Club all sharing ice time.But curling chiefs today said they had been "upset" by "criticism and false information" aimed their way following the news they would be shutting the hugely valued facility, citing rising energy costs.And now they've thrown the gauntlet down to council officials, claiming it is high time officials at County Buildings stepped up to provide an ice facility for the town.In a statement by the Board of Ayrshire Curlers Ltd, they said: "The reason for closure is simply down to the non viability of trading the ice rink due to the hike in energy prices.

The £150,000+ of ADDITIONAL income required to pay energy costs per annum cannot be generated. The Board has investigated all options to remain open including reduced energy consumption, insulation and alternative income streams, however, the overall effect is minimal."To date the Board has received three different offers for the rink from Glasgow Ice Centre who have advised that they have the support of Scottish Curling, Kyle and Ayr Figure Skating Clubs and the Bruins Junior Ice Hockey Club.