Lisburn's ice rink going ahead ... but no lapel pins for school children

Remember the talk in September about Lisburn having an ice rink over the Christmas holidays?

Well it looks like it’s going ahead and the Visit Lisburn website is promoting the “fantastic entertainment at this enchanting undercover ice rink” in Castle Gardens. Running from Friday 11 December until Sunday 3 January, charging £5/adult (18 and over), £4/child (6–17 16 years old and Senior Citizens) and £16 for family groups of up to two adults and three children. Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult. School groups can block book in advance for £3/child.

It’ll be open Monday–Friday 10am–9pm, Saturday noon–9pm 10am–7pm and Sunday 1pm–6pm. No word yet on which days they’ll be closed (eg, Boxing Day and/or the in lieu holiday on Monday 28th). Update - Closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day only (press release + opening hours). Santa’s Grotto will be open between 11–24 December too, Mon–Fri 1–6pm, Saturday 10am–7pm, Sunday 1–6pm, £4 per child for photo and present.)

Other Lisburn Council business to squeeze into this post includes the fact that the minutes from the Strategic Policy Sub-committee that has been dealing with Lisburn’s 400th Anniversary Celebrations have now - as promised - been published their minutes online (though the September ones probably won’t appear until early December).

But if you’re keen you can see a bit more detail about the schemes that they dreamt up proposed (and were given delegated authority to run) at their December, January, February, March, May and July.

The initial budget projection of £1m was quickly cut to £330,000 on the recommendation of the Chief Executive.

One idea had been to issue a memento of the 400th anniversary to school children. The initial intention to give out medals proved costly and morphed into a plan to provide lapel pins. But health and safety concerns made the councillors on the subcommittee wonder about contemplated fridge magnets as an alternative. (Though the magnets wouldn’t have stuck so easily to the school children!) However, the May minutes seem to conclude the ill-fated idea with the note:

Following advice received from the Environmental Health Unit and given that the Mayor’s Parade had already happened, it was agreed that lapel pins not be circulated to children.

The subject didn’t get mentioned in July, so it looks like the plan fell apart.

Still no word about the Council agreeing to release any information publicly about the work of the Voluntary Transition Committee between Lisburn and Castlereagh councils - twenty days and counting, cough! - though Edwin Poots’ concerns about the Reform of Public Administration may put a halt to any further meetings!

Though the Equality Commission did rule in October on the method Lisburn City Council used to select councillors to sit on the transition committee: a method that some felt excluded Lisburn SDLP councillor’s from participating.

“The Equality Commission has found that Lisburn City Council has failed to comply with its own Equality Scheme in relation to the system adopted to determine the Council’s representatives on the joint Lisburn/Castlereagh Transition Committee.”