The future of Scotland’s oldest curling club has been secured, it has been revealed.
Members of Kinross Curling Trust officially took over the running of the local rink from the Green Hotel Golf and Leisure Resort.
They now intend to completely renovate and upgrade the dated facilities as part of efforts to keep the sport in the town. Chairman Blair Melville revealed that the trust now faces a race against time to carry out improvements.
He said: “The ice rink was built in 1977 and now needs major refurbishment, which the owners are not in a position to carry out.
“The most urgent issue is the plant; it will be unusable after December 2014 because of EU laws on refrigerant gases. This will mean the closure of the rink unless something is done.”
In a bid to retain the popular curling rink, the trust has taken on a 50-year lease and is frantically raising funds to pay for the upgrades.
Improvements include laying a new, properly insulated concrete floor, replacing the refrigeration plant, upgrading wiring, lighting and dehumidifiers, replacing the leaking roof and improving insulation.
Thanks to the dedication of members, local club and individuals, more than £300,000 has already been secured. With renovations estimated to cost at least £800,000, however, there is no room for complacency.
Applications for funding have been sent to sportscotland, the World Curling Federation and Perth and Kinross Council. Once the trust has met its target, work will begin next summer and is expected to be completed within 12 months.
Mr Melville added: “This is a very exciting day for the trust and for local curlers. We now feel we have some control over the future of curling in Kinross.
“More than 1,000 people curl at this rink every season, including wheelchair users, vision-impaired curlers and a thriving junior section, so it would be terrible if we lost this facility.
“I’d like to thank all the curlers who have worked so hard to raise the sum reached so far and who have made personal donations.
“Without some significant sums in the form of grants to add to this, however, we won’t be able to keep curling in Kinross long-term.”
Determined volunteers have already started work on minor improvements, with local tradesmen and curlers both rolling up their sleeves to help out.
So far, the curling rink’s lounge and changing rooms have been completely transformed. The facility has also been renamed Kinross Curling to mark the start of a new era, also indicated by the change in management.
Head of operations Doug Ritchie said: “It has been very heartening to see how many people have been willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into the cleaning and painting over the last few days. There has been a terrific team spirit.
“With Kinross Curling Trust taking over, we will see the continuation of four local jobs we are delighted that Steven Kerr, the experienced ice rink manager here, and three other ice technicians will stay on with us.”
As part of their bid to boost their cash pot, a fundraising dinner and auction will take place next month.