Following 32 successful Highland Weeks at the Aviemore Centre we were forced to move to Inverness through the demise of the Ice Rink in Aviemore (1999).
This is our home Ice Rink now and it is thanks to the users of the Inverness Centre, Curlers and Skaters that we have such a facility here in Inverness.
Inverness Ice Rink was the vision of Angus Macleod a past owner of the Kingsmill’s Hotel who formed a company "Northsport Ltd" and commissioned Architect John Lawrie of McKillop and Lawrie to realise his next business venture.
John Lawrie as well as being a well-known Architect was a keen curler and belonged to the famous "Lochness Curling Club". His company engaged "Logan Contractors" from Beauly to carry out the build of this five lane curling pad with function room and bars which was completed and opened in September 1968.
Ice Centre History to date.
In 1971 Northsport sold the Ice Rink to the internationally known "Rio Stakis Ltd" who had plans to expand the facility by adding a hotel.
These plans never came to fruition due in later years to Stakis having a business reshuffle and changing direction from a chain of Hotels to a chain of Casinos.
This change of direction instigated a sale in 1980 to a local group of businessmen, John Macgregor, Eric Brown and Allan O'Neil who took over the premises and ran the Ice rink until 1984.
John G Macgregor then ran it till 1986 when it was sold to a National Leisure company "C.A.C. Leisure Ltd" who in turn sold it to a developer in 2002.
Inverness Ice Centre Ltd
This is where the present owners "The Users" of the Ice Centre led by local businessman and sports fanatic Innes Rankin worked hard to raise the funds to purchase the Ice Rink from developer David Cameron.
"The Users" formed Inverness Ice Centre Ltd (A Charitable Company) raising over £70,000 from skaters and curlers with the remainder of the capital required coming from the Lottery, (Sportscotland), Highland Council (Leisure and Recreation Department) and Inverness Common Good Fund.
Having purchased the rink a committee chaired by Innes Rankin started to improve the facility and breathe new life into the Centre and since 2002 a new kitchen has been installed, bars altered, toilets upgraded and further improvement work is in the pipeline.
This is the "Highland Week of Curling’s" new home and we hope to welcome new curlers year on year to this event to join those rinks that have supported us for so many years and created the social atmosphere which this Bonspiel is so famous for throughout the curling world.
Inverness City is an excellent venue for curlers whether you are here just for the week or perhaps with us for the week and then have a second week touring the Highlands of Scotland.
Please visit their web site and see for yourself click here
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