News MBC donates ice rink to Hospice on Valentine’s Day
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is installing and donating a temporary ice-skating rink for Valentine’s Day at the Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre with all ticket donations raising funds for Heart of Kent Hospice.
The charity event which will take place on Monday 14 February, is being held by the Council as part of the government’s Welcome Back Fund to encourage residents back to their local towns and high streets as businesses recover from the Covid pandemic.
Families will be able to enjoy ice-skating on the synthetic rink from 11am - 7pm on the Monday and can choose to make a donation for their ticket directly to Heart of Kent Hospice via an online booking system: https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/ValentinesDayIceSkating
Councillor Martin Round, Chair of the MBC Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee said:
MBC is delighted to be able to bring some entertainment to Maidstone with this event, whilst also supporting our local hospice. We hope that the ice-skating rink will bring some new audiences down to Lockmeadow who may not have visited since we opened our new Love Food hall. It gives a great excuse to have some fun over the half term and see what else is on offer at Lockmeadow whilst supporting our truly valued local hospice and much appreciated youth work.The ice-skating rink represents a great initiative for two wonderful causes and is a great example of how we can use the outdoor space at Lockmeadow with a bit of healthy active sporting fun too. This is something we want to showcase to community groups and businesses who may be looking for outdoor event space.
Heart of Kent Hospice, Event Manager Erica Snow added:
Heart of Kent Hospice are delighted to be working in partnership with Maidstone Borough Council to bring a fun day of ice skating to Maidstone residents on Valentine’s Day. Any donations made at this event will go towards the £5 million that it costs to run our services each year, so we can continue to provide free, specialist care and support to adults living with a terminal illness, and their loved ones.
Tickets for the Monday can be booked directly via the Heart of Kent Hospice website with an optional donation for users. Each session on the ice lasts for half an hour. Under 6’s must be accompanied by an adult: https://bit.ly/3HmBaE1
The ice-skating rink will also remain in place on Tuesday 15 February and will be managed by Kent County Council’s Info Zone Youth Hub and Early Help Preventative Services for free skating. Young people and families can turn up on the day from 11am – 3pm to book their slot.
Lockmeadow is located on Barker Road, Maidstone, ME16 8SF. More information regarding the Entertainment Centre can be found on the website: https://lockmeadowentertainment.co.uk/