EDEN ICE RINK TO RE-OPEN ON 17 DEC
The popular ice rink at the Eden Project is set to re-open on Friday December 17 after being damaged in last month’s severe flooding. The Eden site at Bodelva near St. Austell was one of hundreds of businesses and households in mid Cornwall affected by the flood on November 17 and the Eden Project was closed to visitors for a week as staff worked around the clock to repair damaged areas, including the main Visitor Centre and the Core education building.
The rink and the eating areas between the two Biomes were worst affected but after major repairs and testing this week, the project is confident that the rink will be ready for skating in a fortnight. Eden’s managing director Gaynor Coley said today: “We’re really pleased to be able to announce that skating will be back a month after it was put out of action. “When the floodwater came in, it lifted up the ice and damaged the rink’s infrastructure. The team has worked extremely hard to fix it in time for the school holidays and Christmas.
From December 17 onwards, the Eden ice rink will be open everyday and some evenings throughout the festive period, apart from Christmas Eve and Day when Eden is closed. Each 40-minute skating session costs £5 on top of the entry fee. The evening openings are on Friday and Saturday, December 17 and 18, and every night from Monday, December 27, to Thursday, December 30. Eden is open until 9pm on these dates with the last skating session at 8pm. For rink opening times in the new year, visit www.edenproject.com or ring the Box Office on 01726 811972.
The return of the ice rink coincides with Eden’s sparkling winter season which features a host of festive activities including lantern processions, carols sung by Cornish choirs and delicious seasonal food. On every evening Eden is open late there’ll be lantern parades, twinkling lights, Cornish choirs, a giant Christmas tree and beautiful fire sculptures. Because of the week’s closure due to the floods, Eden has extended the Locals for a Fiver offer to Thursday 23 December. All residents of Cornwall and Devon can come in for £5 and visit for free for the rest of the year. They just need to bring proof of residency (for example a utility bill) and photographic ID.
