First pictures from inside Deeside Ice Rink as work to re-open gathers pace

The first pictures from inside Deeside Ice Rink have been shared on social media as work to bring it back to its former state gathers pace.

Aura Wales has said the next few weeks are set to be “very exciting for Deeside Leisure Centre” with the reopening of the ice arena.

Staff are gearing up to reopen Deeside Ice Rink after being closed for over two and a half years.

Aura – the not-for-profit company that manages most of the leisure centres and libraries in Flintshire shared the photographs today of the ongoing work at the ice arena.

The ice rink was taken over by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and converted into a hospital at the start of the pandemic.

The hospital was stood down in March last year but the ice rink continued to be used as a mass vaccination clinic.

The Deeside vaccination centre played a key role in the fight against COVID-19, and was hailed a great success for delivering more than 220,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Following the decommissioning of the vaccination centre, work began to bring the ice rink and arena back up to their original state.

Deeside Ice Rink is one of only two in Wales and is used as a celebrity training venue for ITV’s Dancing on Ice.

When will the ice rink open? 

Aura said it wasn’t able to share a precise re-opening date but a clue lies within the fixture list of the Deeside ice hockey team.

However a scan down the list of upcoming Deeside Dragons ice hockey team fixtures shows the team are on the road for the whole of October, it also reveals the first home fixture at the Deeside Ice Arena will be played on November 13 against Solway Sharks.

A spokesperson for Aura said: “We are hopeful that the reinstatement works will be successfully completed over the next couple of months and are excited about the ice arena being returned to its original purpose.”

“Whilst we are unable to share a precise re-opening date at the present time, we are very much looking forward to welcoming back our loyal ice skating customers in the near future.”