Yarmouth will be home to an ice rink for the first time ever this Christmas - thanks to a number of "very generous" businesses prepared to step in and help fund it.
EXCLUSIVE...
For a week and a half over the festive season, the town’s Christmas tree will be lit up, there will be carols in the square - with the Salvation Army Band performing. The Ice rink will be in the car park of the square, next to the George Hotel.
Children can also pay a visit to Mother and Father Christmas in the town hall.
Depending on how much profit is left at the end, the organisers plan to “give a little to a lot of Island charities”.
Danny Arthur and Mandy Miles
The ice rink idea was the brainchild of Mandy Miles the director of local business Harwoods Yacht Chandlers and the manager Danny.
However, looking at the initial price of the rink they decided they needed to pull other businesses in the town together to help make it possible.
They formed a committee with local business owners and the harbour commission - who all threw their weight behind the idea to make it a reality.
Danny Arthur, Manager of Harwoods Yacht Chandlers, exclusively told Isle of Wight Radio:
“After the last lockdown, myself and my colleague sat down, after they cancelled Christmas essentially, we thought, how can we make this Christmas coming a little bit more fun and exciting?
“We have always had this idea about putting an ice rink in the square, wouldn’t it be perfect? Then we started putting meat on the bones and decided we are going to put an ice rink in the square undercover.”
The rink will be synthetic ice, Danny says it is the latest technology:
"To run an ice rink is not that ecologically sound it requires 24-hour power and an awful lot of power. So this year we decided we would go down the synthetic ice route...The technology for the surface we are using is the latest technology and the company we are using has been doing it for years.”
"The majority of this has been funded by very generous businesses in Yarmouth and any profits will be going to Island charities…
"Depending on how much is left we want to give a little to a lot of charities and make differences and changes in an awful lot of smaller organisations and charities that sometimes may not get the big press."
At the ice rink in the square, there will be seating for spectators too, as well as free push-along penguins for youngsters or less confident skaters.
The festive week will be for all the family to come and enjoy and an opportunity to support local shops.
It all starts on Saturday 11 December and the last day will be Wednesday 22 December.
On 18 December, the Salvation Army Band will be in the square for carol singing.
The website Yarmouthonice.com is expected to go live for more information - soon.
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