New initiatives to boost visitor numbers at Telford Ice Rink

A report, which was put before Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet last week, said the council-owned centre is making a profit but leisure services are £113,000 off target.

But Telford & Wrekin Council's leisure chief, Councillor John Minor said the ice rink is a profitable facility for the council, attracting 155,000 visitors a year from across the region.

He said it was also often described as Telford’s biggest youth club.

He added: "As a well-used facility, the rink has ambitious increased income targets and current figures show that this year so far, these are yet to be met.

"The rink also suffered from a drop in numbers from the recent snowfall which hit a number of peak sessions and affected income.

"However, there are a series of new initiatives to boost income and visitor numbers further.

"These include the recent Santa skate and the successful paint and skate sessions, with other new events coming soon.

"The rink also traditionally sees a spike in income throughout the winter months, and we expect this to be further boosted by the return of Dancing on Ice and the Winter Olympics, which we believe will help us to hit our income target.”

The ice rink temporarily closed for refurbishment to its ice pad last April.

The ice pad requires regular upkeep to prevent deterioration which can occur over time.

It was installed in 2013 and needs regular repainting to ensure it complies with the rules and regulations for ice hockey games.

Telford Ice Rink also made a surprise appearance on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway last year.

Around 8.5 million watched as the ice rink became one of four locations taking part in the Sofa Watch, in which viewers are challenged to identify and make their way down to sofas positioned at UK landmarks.

It led to more than 200 people making a dash for the leisure attraction.