Last night, Wednesday, supporters of Ryde Arena ice rink formed a human chain around the venue in protest at the recent closure.
Around 300 Islanders, of all ages, turned out to show how important saving the ice rink is to them.
Islander and passionate ice hockey fan, Andrew N, made use of his aerial drone camera and has kindly shared these great shots of the protest.
Click on images to see larger versions
Recent closure
Last weekend, Ryde Arena Limited informed its staff and users that they’re no longer in a position to operate Ryde Arena.
The news followed the situation on Thursday last week when the locks to the ice rink were changed by bailiffs, locking out those who run the venue.
Already saved once by the Trust
Ryde Arena has been home, for many years, to a whole host of activities including being home to the Wightlink Raiders and Solent Hawks ice hockey teams and the Wight Jewels Ice skating team.
In 2015 the rink was saved from closure by the local community who formed a Trust to takeover when Planet Ice pulled out.
Official notice
The official closure announcement last weekend read,
“It has become clear in recent weeks that AEW/BNY Mellon (the landlords) have no interest in allowing us to run a not for profit facility for the community.
“At this present time we would like to put on record our thanks to the loyal staff and the dozens of volunteers who have worked tirelessly in the last 18 months to keep the arena open, despite some of the cruelest setbacks possible. In addition our thanks also go to our customers, Ryde Town Council and the Isle of Wight Council for their support.
“We are truly devastated that the Island is losing this facility.
“At this stage we have no idea what the landlords plans are for the building. Clearly the landlord AEW/BNY Mellon still have the opportunity to see sense and discuss a solution that is acceptable to both parties and avoid yet another empty derelict building that serves no purpose to the community.
“In the next few days we will make public some of the issues we faced in the hope that it will shed some light on what we were up against.”
No access to belongings
If you have any items within the rink that needs to be collected, please email Lorna on [email protected] with a description of the item.
You can stay up to date with any developments by Liking the Ryde Arena Facebook Page or the Staying Together for Ryde Arena Facebook Group.
