By Andy McCormick
Promises for the Cheltenham Ice Rink to return for 2022 have changed as it has been announced that the ice rink has been cancelled.
This cancellation was surprising for some as not long ago in September it had been declared that the ice rink would return to Cheltenham for 2022. A press release from Cheltenham Borough Council has stated that increasing economic pressures from inflation to the impact of Covid-19 means that the rink will return for 2023 instead.
Cheltenham’s festive spirit may be enlightened by a series of other events such as the markets along the Promenade, but has it been dampened by the shelving of the skates?
Students from the University of Gloucestershire share their thoughts since the ice rink was very popular in 2021 for groups of friends.
‘I think it’s sad, Cheltenham’s going to miss out and everybody’s going to go to Gloucester instead.’ Natasia noted. ‘I went twice, and obviously it made a lot of money for the town and they said they were going to do it this year. Obviously something’s gone wrong.’
‘I’m a bit surprised because I thought it was really successful last year.’ Chloe commented. ‘I really enjoyed it, so it’s a bit of a shame it’s not going to be there.’
Not everyone will be feeling the blues, as the original plan to bring the Cheltenham ice rink back for 2022 received some complaints from residents.
One resident claimed that the noise was so irritating they had to use earplugs due to the ‘non-stop noise coming from the power generators.’ For environmental reasons, the disbanded ice rink will do wonders to reduce air pollution levels as there was alleged ‘failure to recognise the limitation of biofuels used for the generators’ last year.
The Cheltenham ice rink has always been hosted in Montpellier Gardens but for conservation reasons town residents have said the ice rink would cause ‘unsightly damage’ to the lawn.
To the detriment of the relieved residents this year, it has been concluded that Cheltenham Borough Council are optimistic about scheduling the ice rink’s return for 2023.
Cheltenham Borough Council’s official press release to find out more: https://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/news/article/2740/cheltenham_christmas_ice_rink_cancelled_for_2022
