Celebrating the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink’s 10th winter season in Brighton, we hosted a Skate-a-thon on 1st November to raise funds for Sussex Wildlife Trust, before the rink opened on November 2 2019 to January 19 2020.
Over 100 people participated in the sponsored event, with all abilities, from beginners to advanced. They skated as individuals or in relay teams of up to ten skaters. Many far outstripped the 5,000-metre mini skate-a-thon, equivalent to 50 circuits of the rink, or the15,000-metre full skate-a-thon, equivalent to 150 circuits, which was their target.
Funds raised will support Sussex Wildlife Trust’s ‘Sussex Flow’ project, to help plant thousands of trees in and around Sussex near floodplains, slowing the flow of water and reducing the chance of flooding in communities downstream. In doing so they are creating new habitats in Sussex, helping wildlife like dragonflies and bats and building resilience to climate change.
Shella Parkin, CEO of Laine Ltd, which creates and operates the ice rink, said, “We already use clean energy to power the rink, exclusively solar and wind energy, but this year we are increasing our efforts to protect the environment, by supporting Sussex Wildlife Trust and delivering the highest possible performance in terms of energy efficiency and minimising carbon emissions.
“It was a great day and we want to thank everyone for participating and helping us raise funds for a wonderful cause!”