Great Yarmouth ice rink facts - a week left to have a go
Christmas lights switch on in the Market Place, Great Yarmouth.The Ice Rink.November 2015.Picture: James Bass - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2015
The ice rink in Great Yarmouth has been delighting people for weeks, whether they have been watching or gleefully gliding around the ice themselves.
And there are still a week left to get your skates on and have a go before the attraction is dismantled and packed away.
To whet your appetite Liz Coates brings together some of the numbers behind the successful festive formula.
The skating surface measures 15 metres by 20 metres. The rink can accommodate 100 skaters at any one time and a total of 700 skaters per day.
The rink uses 30,000 litres of waters, which took two days to freeze, plus an additional 10,000 to re-dress the ice.
Each square metre of ice weighs 95kg. The total weight of the ice is 28.5 tonnes, with the overall structure weighing 42 tonnes.
The ice depth is between 3.5 inches to 4 inches, dependent on weather conditions.
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6,000 litres of glycol coolant is pumped continuously through the pipes to keep the surface frozen. The temperature of the glycol is around -12 degrees Celsius, with the surface temperature of the ice sitting around -8 Celsius.
The build took nine days and, at the height of the build, there was 20 staff on-site, ranging from carpenters to sound engineers.
The rink is managed by a team of five to nine staff, along with a constant medical presence onsite in a purpose-built treatment room. The rink staff are also supported by the borough council’s events team.
The rink is organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council as part of the Town Centre Initiative, the council’s additional efforts to boost footfall, trade and the local economy, launched in response to a major consultation, which identified the town centre as a top public priority.
The event is sponsored by Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership, NORSE joint ventures GYB Services Ltd and GYN, and Market Gates shopping centre.
The rink opened to the public for 44 days, from November 20 to January 3. Tickets can be booked for a specific session at www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/gyChristmas or at the rink’s box office, which is open during the rink’s scheduled opening hours.
