Borders ice rink marking its 60th birthday celebrates after overcoming 'difficult few years'

A Borders ice rink marking its 60th anniversary looks ahead to a weekend of celebration after overcoming a 'difficult few years'.

This time last year Borders Ice Rink was fighting for survival following their struggles in keeping up with the cost of energy bills.

The ice rink has now turned a corner and will be celebrating its 60th birthday with a curling competition this weekend.

The ice rink, in Kelso, opened its doors to the public in 1964.

Lucy Tile, the Chair of Border Ice Rink, says the facility had to adapt to bringing more people after surviving the pandemic and energy crisis.

She said: "It has been very tricky over the last few years, we’ve had to hunker down and look at all options to carry on.”

As the seasons change, the rink does too, the rink is defrosted which allows roller skating and pickle ball to be held over the summer.

The facility has had its energy bills reduced by 20% after fitting the rink with better insulation four years ago.

Bill Cleghorn, who was 17 when the rink first opened, says he remembers it well. He said: “The first week was curling and the first weekend was skating.

"While I am a curler now, back then I was a skater. The ice rink was rushed through and there were a few hiccups. The first skating weekend only people with their own skates could skate because none of the hired skates had arrived.”

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