Hundreds get their skates on in Chorley this Christmas
Chorley's C
hristmas got even better at the weekend when this year’s main attraction glided into town to the delight of families.
On Friday 9 December Chorley’s Flat Iron car park was transformed into a magical winter wonderland for the festive period with the town’s first real ice rink as the centre piece.
The 60ft by 40ft rink, brought to town by Chorley Council and sponsored by Botany Bay, FI Real Estate Management and Market Walk, was joined by children’s rides and some festive food and drink stalls selling everything from German sausages, hog roast carvery, waffles and treats to mulled wine, cider, hot chocolate and more.
The rink was opened in spectacular fashion as Birmingham Ice Freestylers came to town to show off their amazing talents with their spectacular show featuring jumps and pirouettes. And from this Friday, 16 December, the ice rink will be joined by Betty’s Tipis who will be bringing a tipi bar experience that’s never been seen in Chorley town centre before.
Councillor Peter Wilson, who has responsibility for the town centre and events at Chorley Council, said "The real ice rink proved to be really popular over the opening weekend with hundreds of people visiting Chorley to check out the winter wonderland and do Christmas shopping too.
"What was great to see were lots of smiling faces and families being able to enjoy themselves together on the ice.
"We also had many people from outside of the borough who are coming to Chorley because of the events we are putting on and that is giving the local economy a boost and hopefully they will be visiting again soon."
All tickets include 45 minutes on the ice and skate hire, with sessions beginning on the hour every hour. Time credits are accepted on the ice rink but are limited to five time credit users per session.
For the first hour on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there will be a Cub Club, where a parent and young child (under 5s) can skate together, which offers a great introduction to ice skating. The price for this session is only £2.50 per person
There is a fantastic schools offer and group bookings for local community groups and clubs can be made in advance by contacting Chorley Council for details.
Chorley’s Real Ice Rink is open every day, except Christmas day, until Sunday 8 January.
The rink is open:
• Monday to Thursday 12 noon to 6pm,
• Friday 12 noon to 9pm,
• Saturdays 10am to 9pm
• Sundays 10am to 6pm.
• The only day it will be closed is Christmas day, but will close earlier at 5pm Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to the rink and are priced at:
• £6 for adults;
• £3 for children under 14 and senior citizens or a
• £15 for a family ticket for 4 people (two adults and two children)
For more information on Chorley’s Winter Wonderland and Christmas in Chorley, visit chorley.gov.uk like Chorley Council on Facebook or follow @ChorleyCouncil on Twitter and @visitchorley on Instagram.