Scottish Curling says there was 'no sign' of Elgin rink closure

BBC News

4 days ago

The national governing body for the sport of curling has said the closure of the Elgin ice rink has come as a "shock" for everyone.Scottish Curling said it only found out about the move on Monday afternoon after Moray Council confirmed the closure would take place on 4 August. The board for Moray Leisure Centre said "spiralling energy costs" had made it difficult to continue operating the rink. Scottish Curling chief executive Vincent Bryson told BBC Scotland: "No one knew anything. There's a feeling of surprise, shock and anger."
He said more than 200 people in the Elgin curling community would be affected along with even more who play different ice sports. He added that there was a community movement building and a petition online has started, with thousands of signatures already.A protest was also staged outside the rink on Tuesday.Mr Bryson said: "There was no sign that any closure was coming."He said communication with managers at the site had been healthy over the past few months and there was no suggestion that it was at risk.However, Scottish Curling said the leisure centre board announced the closure without further discussion with key participants. Mr Bryson said: "More has to be done on the consultation side of things".Moray Council issued a statement and said the closure was a "difficult decision" for the board to make but rising energy costs made it an "understandable measure".The board of Moray Leisure Centre said it had concluded its ice rink was "no longer financially viable".A statement added: "Moray Leisure Centre has seen its energy costs double, and the board have had to review the full operation at Moray Leisure Centre."The board have made a decision to close the area which generates the least amount of income and consumes the most energy, which is the ice rink."The board said the cost of running the ice rink threatened the financial sustainability of the whole leisure centre.
Curling may be 'under threat'
Many of Scotland's ice rinks are facing difficulties after increasing energy prices have made it hard to break even, Mr Bryson said."There's difficulties to avoid closure and it's a credit to the people who own and operate those rinks," he said.Ayr ice rink closed its doors in September 2023 due to unprecedented hikes in the cost of gas and electricity. Ice rinks in Inverness and Aberdeen have also been reportedly struggling to stay open previously but they have managed to avoid closure.Scottish Curling said those ice rinks had been able to find solutions to continue operating but those were short-term. Mr Bryson said issues across the globe could have a knock-on effect on energy costs which were seen weeks or months later.He said: "Conflicts happening directly impact the energy. It's a really volatile market."He said Scottish Curling would work to help avoid further closures but might need assistance from other stakeholders and energy firms to secure the future of the nation's ice rinks.