Swindon is open again, and my 2 were in the first group of 6 skaters on.
However it was an interesting moment when the first person stepped on the ice in skates at 5:45am on Saturday morning!
Like a fork of lightning the ice cracked
For a while no one knew if it was ok to skate on. However after a call to the manager it was determined that this was expected and that the Zamboni had been run around the pad the night before so it was ok. Apparently Ice pads crack when used for the first time. For the most it didn't seem to affect the skaters although my son said that his spins were affected when his toe pick caught a crack.
There are still a few things going on with the ice thickness is being increased over nights (which also smooths the ice again) and it is a bit misty in the mornings as the HVAC unit is not on line yet (portable dehumidifiers are in use).
But credit must be given to the project team in re-opening the pad on time.
Well done Better Swindon Link.