The support for a new ice rink in Durham has been demonstrated  in feet – 20,000 pairs of them, as visitor numbers to the city’s temporary Winter Ice Rink broke through the 20k mark during half-term last week.

The school holiday saw a bumper number of skaters take to the ice – some for the first time and the rink is hopeful to attract more skaters, old and new, in the coming weeks.

To find out about opening times, events, skating lessons and other activities happening at the rink, visit durhamicerink.co.uk

Get your skates on!

As part of the club’s commitment to raise awareness of the aim to secure a permanent home in Durham in the near future, the Durham Dragons will be taking part in a sponsored skate at Durham Winter Ice Rink on Friday 5th February 2010

The self-funding recreational team are aiming to complete 2010 laps in of the 20m x 30m outdoor ice pad in a gruelling overnight relay between 10pm on Friday evening and 8am Saturday morning.

Sponsorship of the team is welcome – email your pledges to fiona30@fsmail.net or call in personally to Breakout Hockey on Gilesgate Bank in Durham. All money raised will go towards helping the Dragons promote the name of Durham around the country’s ice rinks.

Durham Winter Ice Rink and its supporters are pleased to announce a North East Ice Hockey Shirt Skate.

The event will take place at the outdoor rink in Freeman’s Place, Durham City on Sunday 31st January.

Skaters are urged to don their favourite teams hockey shirt and come for a skate with other fans of the sport in support of Durham’s Winter Ice Rink. Entrance is £5 if wearing a hockey shirt, £7.50 without.

We would like to see as many North East teams represented as possible (past & present) along with any other teams people may support by wearing the shirt of that team. It may be the team you play for, the team you used to play for, the team your kids play for or even just the team you support.

This would also be a great opportunity for anyone who is a fan of the sport who has never been on the ice to give it a go, especially when the price includes hire skates.

The attendance of hockey based support could be of significant importance in making the case stand that the region needs another permanent ice facility.

The skate follows an unofficial get together by the Durham Dragons who held a similar event a few weeks ago for their family and friends. The turnout was unprecedented, with in excess of 150 people showing up.

We look forward in seeing the ice full of shirts on the night and should prove to be a good night out for all of the family.

RSVP on Facebook

After years without ice, Durham can finally get its skates on with the opening of the city’s temporary ice rink later on today.

The 2,700sq metre rink will be officially opened by Mayor of Durham, Dennis Southwell at 3pm this afternoon, with the inaugural skating session taking place at 5pm. Public interest has been high in the build-up to the rink’s opening, with over 650 people signing up to the ice rink’s ‘Fan’ page in ten days and the rink’s operators are expecting a busy opening weekend.

The real-ice ice rink, situated in the shadow of the former Riverside Rink will be an apt setting for many locals who both skated and followed Durham Wasps up until the building’s closure in the 1990s. The rink will be open every day until the end of March from 9am til 10pm, and also boasts it’s own Crystal Café serving food and hot drinks overlooking the ice.

Ticket prices are £7.50 for adults and £5.50 for children and concessions. For further information, please visit the Durham Winter Ice Rink’s website.

For an ice hockey club that have had no home-ice to call their own for  thirteen years, it’s a remarkable achievement that Durham Dragons can still proudly claim to be ‘The only team to survive the closure of the Riverside Rink’. The nomadic recreational side, formed in the 1990s have seen them move from rink-to-rink around the North East, and have seen not only their original Durham base close, but also Sunderland, and more recently Billingham. With the potential of a new home rink tantalisingly on the horizon, the Dragons currently appear to be enjoying a renaissance, with new members, new fixtures, and a smart new kit. (Blue and Gold, obviously). We spoke to one of the Dragons’ stalwarts, Darren Webb.

Darren, The Dragons have managed to keep going since the old rink shut back in 1996, why do you think that is?
Many of the semi-pro league players went to play with other local and national teams, but because the Dragons are a recreational team this wasn’t an option. Our players are very passionate about hockey but the Dragons is very much a social team, so there are really strong friendships between our players. I think this has been the main reason why a core of the team has stuck together. Over the years we have trained at other rinks, Crowtree, Whitley Bay, Newcastle and Billingham and although other players have joined and left, the core of the team has always remained. I think the general feeling is that we are not just playing the game but we are carrying the Durham name in the hope that one day we’ll have a rink of our own back in the City.

It seems a like there’s more regular games happening now… is rec hockey picking up generally or is it a Dragons revival?
I don’t think that rec hockey is picking up, certainly not in the North East. The recent closure of the Billingham Forum has meant that the only regular ice available is at Whitley Bay. I do however think that the Dragons have had a bit of a revival. There has been a definite buzz of optimism over the last year or so, with talk of new rinks etc. The Dragons have always tried to attract new players, but this has been difficult without regular practice sessions. Over the summer months we were lucky enough to secure a regular slot at Newcastle Arena and this helped us to bring a few players in. Really though it’s all about networking and many of our new players have been exposed to the Dragons through Facebook and also through visiting Michael Evan’s shop, Breakout Hockey.

How tricky is it getting ice time at the moment?
Unfortunately the ice is now unavailble and unaffordable at Newcastle Arena so the only place to train is Whitley Bay along with every other NE rec team. Subsequently we are resigned to practicing at 12:15am on Saturday mornings (Friday night!)

Do you get comments (good or bad) from other clubs playing under the ‘Durham’ name?
Regarding the Durham name, I think generally other clubs are happy and sometimes surprised, that there is still a team flying the blue and gold flag. Many people we speak to still have fond memories of the Wasps. Just Sunday gone we played in Fife and after the game the opposition were talking about the Coopers and Stephen Foster etc.

There are a few teams where the Durham name precedes us and their expectations are of a high speed, physical game from a “give as good as they get” team.

You have some snazzy new shirts now… will we be seeing official Dragons merchandise any time soon?
We’ve recently updated our team strips. Shirts are available at £40 each, but we also have team baseball caps (£6.50 without number or £8.50 with number or initials) and polo shirts (£10) available displaying the new style Dragon logo. We will post the details on our website and Facebook page soon. We are also looking at hoodies for the winter!

What’s the mix in players now? – Old-timers, ex-Wasps, newcomers etc…
Most of our players have only played at Recreational or Junior level. At the moment we have a couple of ex wasps (Mark Foster and Paul “Popsey” Lewins), but we have recently attracted a few skilled roller hockey players etc. The Dragons historically have always been a male team. We were joined a few years ago by Helen Jackson and more recently by Fiona Hennessy (ex GB women’s) and their involvement in Women’s hockey at both Whitley and Newcastle has generated interest from other women.
In the past we have had some familiar faces from the Wasps and City Wasps, such as John Hutley, Peter Herkes, Karl Walker and also Carl Nelson and Dale Gould who actually played for the Dragons before being selected for the City Wasps back in 1995. We even had a Canadian play for us several years ago called Claude Boucher.

Who are the star players at the moment in your opinion?
All of our players seem to be on form at the moment and playing really well. I think that’s down to some excellent coaching from Michael Evans along with good team spirit and the confidence we’ve gained from winning our recent games. With no disrespect to the rest of the team, our strongest players at the moment are Mark Foster (ex Wasp), Ian Greenwood and Michael Anderson (ex Durham Junior), Gary Walker and Andrew Serrell (Roller Hockey) and not forgetting our young netminder Stephen Wilson.

How important do you think it is that Durham gets it’s new rink?
I think it’s really important that Durham gets a new rink, not just for the Dragons and other teams, but for the people of Durham. Ice Hockey is part of the history of this city and almost everyone you talk to has fond memories of the rink. Of course Durham isn’t really overwhelmed with other social activities or leisure facilities for kids and families. I think everyone has waited long enough in anticipation for the return of what should never have been lost in the first place!

What would you like to see happen with the Dragons in the future?
The future of the Dragons has always been uncertain, but we are the strongest we have been for over 11 years. We just want to keep playing Ice Hockey. The Dragons were the last team to play a competitive game on the old Durham pad and I think it would be fitting for the Dragons to play the first game on the new rink. We have a team here with all of the heritage of Durham Ice Hockey and the skill and flare to make it entertaining. Hopefully other teams will develop at different levels and we will know our place. I’m sure a new rink will generate more interest at our level so we may offer a development programme, but we just want a rink we can call home and somewhere we can invite other teams to come and play us.

Durham Dragons are holding a Christmas Party at Durham Rowing Club on Saturday 19th December. For tickets, call into the Breakout Hockey shop in Gilesgate, or visit the Dragons’ Facebook page for the party for further details.

UPDATE: Opening temporarily delayed until mid-week, week commencing Monday 7th December. Expected to be fully up and running by weekend of Friday 11th December.

An outdoor winter ice rink is set to open in Durham this week. The venture is spearheaded by local businessman Jan Eskildsen who announced last year plans to construct a permanent ice rink in the area.

The temporary rink, currently being built next to the former Riverside Rink building in Freemans Place, forms part of the longer-term vision to see a full-time ice arena re-established in the City and will be in place throughout Christmas until March next year.

Mr Eskildsen said: “Plans are still very much progressing with regard to the permanent ice facility, however these things can sometimes take longer than we would like, so when the opportunity to open a temporary rink came about, we jumped at the chance to re-establish ice-skating in the city once again, as promised for December 2009 in the BBC Inside Out programme which aired earlier in the year. And while interest and momentum builds, we will continue to progress with the process of getting plans for the ‘big rink’ finalised.”

“Durham has not had any form of ice rink for a number of years, and with the popularity of outdoor Christmas rinks in the region and elsewhere in the country we are confident it will be an exciting addition to what the city has to offer over the festive period this year.”

The temporary pad, built by the company behind London’s Canary Wharf rink, will be similar in size to Newcastle’s highly successful Centre for Life ice rink and will also boast a hospitality tent for parties and corporate groups. Skating lessons from professional coaches will also be on offer.

Plans for the permanent facility were announced in August of 2008, initially earmarked for Belmont’s industrial estate, however other locations are currently being explored. Mr Eskildsen assured that the likelyhood of the full-time arena and the long-term return of ice skating and ice hockey is still on track: “It’s been a long journey and a lot of progress has been made so far. We would have liked to have been up and running by now, but we need to get everything absolutely right for it to succeed. We hope however by providing the city with a temporary ice rink, we spark once again the interest in skating in the interim and build up the support in the area for the permanent arena.”

The winter ice rink is now expected to open the week commencing December 7th 2009.

Get regular updates by becoming a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/durhamwintericerink/

Josh, from Gilesgate, will be heading off to Florida along with another local young player – Luke Milner, 12, of Houghton to take part in a four-day tournament representing Great Britain.

CDIF spoke to Josh’s mother Justine, who explained that he currently plays his roller hockey for a club in Sheffield where he travels down independently by train, but would jump at the chance of playing ice hockey and skating out of the new proposed ice arena in his home city. 

“The news that the arena could be built by next year is simply brilliant.” said Mrs Nimmins, “After all it would be a wonderful facility for the city as there is simply nothing to do for young people. Ice skating is such a fine way of keeping fit for all the family and it’s a great way of young people meeting and socializing together.” She also commented that Durham was an undoubtedly an ice hockey city and this was hopefully the beginning of putting the club back on the sporting map again. Josh’s father David was a regular skater at the old Durham ice rink for many years, and was devastated when the facility closed. He too welcomed the planned return of a new rink. 

Popularity for off-ice ice hockey boomed in the Durham area following the closure of the Riverside Rink in 1996. It is hoped that the development of the new ice arena will not only encourage some of these players to make the switch to ice, but also increase the number of young players participating in both sports.

Josh currently attends Framwellgate School and trains at Belmont School twice per week where he also helps training with younger roller hockey players. The trip to the United States is seen as a deserved reward for the hours of training and travelling that Josh puts in. His parents are rightly very proud of him and would welcome any offers of sponsorship, as he prepares to head to Florida with the GB squad. 

Should you be interested in sponsoring Josh please contact CDIF and we will in turn pass the details on to Josh’s parents.

The project to bring an ice arena back to Durham will be the main focus of BBC’s Inside Out programme due to be broadcast on Wednesday 25th February.

Inside Out is a regional current affairs programme introducing everything from major investigative reports through to stories about heritage and current affairs. Wednesday’s episode, broadcast on BBC One will examine what ice hockey and ice skating means to the City of Durham and will deliver an exclusive insight into plans to bring the sport back – in the new arena. Headed up by Radio Five Live sports pundit Steve Bunce the 10-minute feature will include discussions with former fans and players of the Wasps in and around Durham, as well as looking to future with the first interview from the man heading up the planned new development. The show airs at 7:30pm on BBC One North East and Cumbria.

UPDATE: An indepth interview with Paul Smith can now be viewed on BBC online’s Inside Out pages

The full programme can be viewed below:

Those of you who attended the Christmas Get Together earlier in the month will have been updated on where things stand at the moment, and though things have been quiet in the public domain recently, rest assured wheels have been turning considerably behind the scenes regarding the proposed Durham Arena development. As  the Foundation understands it, numerous meetings with investors, the local Council and land owners have taken place in the last few months since the plans were announced – all with positive feedback and outcomes. The next few months of the new year are obviously extremely important in moving the project forward, and we’re confident that we’ll be able to bring you news of concrete developments as and when they happen. 

As was discussed at the Christmas Get Together, the global economic slump is obviously affecting all aspects of business at the moment, and though this has slowed down negotiations regarding the proposed development in Durham, we’re told the knock-on effects shouldn’t hold too much of an impact, and that even in some regards, may make a leisure development a more attractive proposition.

We’re expecting a planning application to be formally filed early in 2009 which will be the next significant milestone in making the project become a reality. Media interest in the development remains high, and filming for a BBC programme following the new Arena’s progress and the history of ice in Durham has also recently begun.

Finally, we’d just like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and we hope that 2009 brings us closer to seeing the rink we’ve been waiting almost 13 years for.

Congratulations to former Durham figure skater Samantha Mason who is in the Guinness Book of Records after completing the world’s biggest ‘wheel on ice.’  Sam was the 65th and final skater to join the wheel making it a Guinness World Record for Robin Cousins’ (MBE) Holiday On Ice team. The successful record attempt was made on an outdoor rink in Mainz, Germany on September 8th 2008. 

CDIF chair Christine Eskildsen said: “I personally coached Sam during her amateur career skating for Durham and I’m excited and proud of her continued impressive international career.  Well Done to everyone who took part!” 

Check out the video below: