A special free and eco-friendly Christmas attraction for children and adults has just opened in a Suffolk town.
Bury St Edmunds residents can now test themselves on a new ice skating rink located in the town centre.
The town’s Mayor, Diane Hind, officially cut the ribbon to open the highly realistic synthetic ice rink on Thursday, December 14.
The first session of the Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink at arc Shopping Centre had been booked exclusively for the youngsters from Riverwalk School.
The rink has been installed by Our Bury St Edmunds, which runs the Business Improvement District (BID) and arc Shopping Centre with financial support from Bury St Edmunds Town Council and other partners.
Councillor Hind, who chairs the town council, said: “It was an honour to perform the official opening, and the children were so thrilled to be the first to skate.
“What a wonderful end of term treat for them. I can see this being such a popular festive attraction for the town centre.”
The Bury St Edmunds Family Christmas Ice Rink, which will be able to cater for up to 25 skaters per session, is now open every day, except Christmas Day, in Charter Square until Wednesday, January 3.
It is part of the Christmas In Bury St Edmunds experience from a partnership hosting a variety of events over the festive holiday period.
Chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, Mark Cordell, said: “We wanted to provide some free family entertainment in the town centre for the Christmas holidays because this can be a costly time of year for many.
“I’m so impressed by how realistic the ice looks, while being much more environmentally friendly and, of course, in no danger of melting. It was wonderful to be able to welcome the school as the first users of this fully accessible activity.”
The synthetic ice rink, provided by Odin Events, is one of the most advanced available, giving the closest possible experience to real ice but without the environmental impact and high energy use of keeping the rink frozen.
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