Ice Arena at Deeside Leisure Centre set to open next week

Deeside Ice Rink is set to reopen next week after being closed for over two and a half years.

Aura Wales, the not-for-profit company that manages most of the leisure centres and libraries in Flintshire has announced it will open the Ice Arena to the general public on Friday, December 16.

The ice rink was closed after being commandeered 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 by 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 home to Aspray Chester Deeside Dragons’ Ice Hockley Team, it is also used as a celebrity training venue for ITV’s Dancing on Ice.

Ice hockey fans in Deeside will only have to wait until Saturday to watch the Dragons in action at the leisure centre ice rink where they will take on Nottingham Lions.

A spokesperson for Aura said: “We are pleased to announce that the Ice Arena at Deeside Leisure Centre will re-open to the general public from Friday, 16 December 2022. This follows the welcome return of ice hockey and the hosting of the Aspray Chester Deeside Dragons’ home game on Saturday, 10 December.”

 “We are excited about the prospect of our loyal ice skating customers returning and we thank them for their patience over recent months. We hope everybody enjoys the Ice Arena’s fresh, new look.”