Funds donated by Woodsmith potash mine owners Anglo-American to pay for new ice rink in Whitby this Christmas

On Friday, senior borough councillors will be asked to allocate £129,000 to fund attractions in Whitby and Scarborough for the festive period.

Council leader Coun Steve Siddons is being asked to approve a grant of £40,000 towards the cost of an ice rink in Whitby - around 40 per cent of its total cost.

The money will come from funds contributed by Anglo-American to promote the town as part of the planning conditions for approval of its Woodsmith potash and polyhalite mine development at Sneaton.

The ice rink will be part of a Christmas festival put together by the newly formed Welcome To Whitby (WTW), a community company that was established to help Whitby and all the local businesses recover from the effects of the pandemic.

The real ice rink will be under the cover of a marquee on Endeavour Wharf, in the centre of Whitby for around six weeks from the middle of November to the end of December. It is hoped that the rink will attract between 6,000 and 10,000 visitors.

A report prepared for Coun Siddons states: “The organisation is hoping that the event will become an annual event subject to the success of this year’s event. It is currently envisaged that any ticket income and profit received from this year’s event will be ring-fenced by the organisation to support the delivery of an ice rink in the following year.

“The contribution from the council along with other income support will assist in pump-priming this event to become sustainable in the future. Any profits made will be utilised to promote Whitby as a tourism destination and extend the traditional summer period.”

On the same day, the council’s cabinet member for Quality of Life, Coun Jim Grieve will be asked to approve a £89,000 contract to provide Christmas lights in Scarborough for the next three years.

Following a tendering process carried out by the authority Blachere Illuminations has been chosen to provide the lights in the town centre and in Ramshill Road.

A report prepared for the cabinet member adds: “Blachere Illuminations have been developing, designing and manufacturing Christmas lights since 1973 and have previously very successfully supplied Scarborough Council with Christmas lighting.

“The lighting proposal will ensure that residents and visitors to Scarborough have an enjoyable Christmas experience when shopping and enjoying hospitality in the town centre and on Ramshill Road.”