A local ice skating coach currently training kids for the British Championships says the collapse of East Kilbride shopping centre is a "huge worry" for the club.
Olympia Figure Skating Club, who train over 100 children at the rink alongside East Kilbride Ice Figure Skating Club, revealed they knew nothing about EK, East Kilbride falling into administration and only heard the "devastating" news as it broke on Friday.
The owners of EK, East Kilbride - Sapphire - have become insolvent, plunging the future of the centre into uncertainty just weeks before Christmas.
It follows a series of difficult years for the centre, which has struggled to retain existing, or attract new, businesses to the town.
Run by South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC), as well as the adjacent EK Central Library and Rooftop ELC Nursery, EK Ice Rink has been home to Olympia Figure Skating Club for more than half a century.
Back in 2015 East Kilbride Ice Figure Skating Club was forced to move out of the venue when it closed for refurbishment.
But despite having to travel across Scotland to train, the long-established club still managed to keep all of their dedicated members.
Speaking to Lanarkshire Live, Olympia coach Leanne Collins shared her concerns for the future of EK Ice Rink.
She said: "We had no idea, it's really sad to hear this and definitely a worry for us. We've got kids training for the British Championships in two weeks and another skater who is doing the World University Olympic Games.
"There are lots of kids at a high level who train many hours a week in the rink so obviously it's a huge worry if anything was to happen - we'd need to try and relocate and they'd need to travel. I honestly don't know where we would go.
"It was hard enough not getting on the ice during COVID for two years. All the kids still trained hard on their flexibility and strength off the ice so it would be such a shame for something else to stop them."
It is understood that traders within the centre have been told it is “business as usual” as Sapphire try to attract a new buyer.
Blair Nimmo and Alistair McAlinden of Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators at the Court of Session in Edinburgh earlier this week.
The Centre will remain open and all day-to-day operations will continue unaffected by the administration process under the control of Reith Lambert.
Leanne added: "So many people use the ice rink; disabled users and you have the pensioners' club, it's such a big part of the town centre and it's so good to see kids doing sport instead of hanging about the streets. To think of it not being there is devastating.
"It would be so sad to see the shopping centre go, it was always a great place to shop but a lot of people don't come to East Kilbride because you need to pay to park and you've lost a lot of big names like M&S and Debenhams.
"If anything was to happen to the centre would we be safe in the rink? I honestly don't know. Everyone is very worried but hopeful that a buyer can come in and take over. We really want to stay here and keep kids in sport."
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