Chorley Christmas events 2022: all you need to know as borough says diesel is the only option for festive ice rink

The borough will once again host an ice rink as part of its programme of festive fun - along with rides and food and drink stalls - on the Cleveland Street car park in the town centre.

In papers presented to a meeting of the full council, the authority acknowledged that the rink, the town’s Christmas lights and a land train running between Astley Hall and the town centre all produce “significant carbon emissions”.

It says that this year, it has sourced a more fuel efficient generator for the ice attraction, which could use up to 10 litres less fuel per hour than was previously the case - provided air temperatures over the period are not unseasonably mild, in which case the saving will be lower as more power will be required.

However, Conservative opposition councillor Martin Boardman suggested that the council could have gone further by thinking “more outside the box”.

“There is capacity in the grid in Chorley town centre to bring an electrical cable into whichever area you wish. We’ve got capacity in the [town hall] building which is unused and has huge amounts of power in it,” Cllr Boardman said.

He told the meeting that a temporary electricity supply could “quite easily” produce enough power for the ice rink and remove the need for the diesel generator altogether.

However, the Labour leader of the council, Alistair Bradley, said that the possibility of a similar arrangement - a so-called “feeder pillar” - had been investigated by the authority in the past, but was deemed not to provide enough power.

“The worst thing we could have is an ice rink that's melting halfway through Christmas because whatever [source] we put in is not sufficient.

“Also, it’s inflexible in terms of the location of where we are putting [the rink] - and, each year, depending on what’s going on [in the town], we have to keep moving it around. It wasn't worth the expense of putting a feed in [to] what is effectively a temporary car park,” Cllr Bradley said.

The Cleveland Street car park area is the subject of a Levelling Up Fund bid which, if successful, would see a new public square built on the site of the former Buzz Bingo hall.

The authority says that if and when it is able to develop such a dedicated events space, it could install a ground power unit that could come from renewable sources - but that there are currently no suitable temporary generators on the market that use renewables.

The meeting heard that the Christmas events programme was led by the town’s traders and that they had “overwhelmingly” requested the return of the ice rink as the main attraction this year.

Meanwhile, councillors were told that the authority was now using LED bulbs for its Christmas lights, which had slashed the energy required to power them by 85 percent.

While there is currently no option other than a diesel-powered land train for the Astley Hall attraction - because of the inclines it needs to negotiate to travel into the town centre - it is likely that electric versions will be available in future years.

Cllr Bradley said that the borough - which declared a climate emergency in 2019 - was doing its best to have a “low-carbon Christmas”. The authority will also seek to promote public transport options for travel into town over the festive period, as well as use of its car parks.

The Labour leader said that although Chorley retailers had been through a difficult period during the height of the pandemic, the town was now “bouncing back better than most”.

Tory councillor Sam Chapman applauded the authority for weighing up “the pluses and minuses” of its Christmas events schedule by considering both economic and environmental factors.

FEELING FESTIVE IN CHORLEY THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas Lights Switch On and Christmas Market – Sunday 20th NovemberIncluding an entertainment stage on Market Street (outside Pearsons), where the switch on will take place. Also, the Totally Locally Chorley Christmas Market will run across the streets in the town centre from 10am-6pm.

Meet Father Christmas in Astley Coach House – every weekend in the run up to Christmas, starting Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th NovemberA Christmas-themed exhibition in the hall and meet Father Christmas experience in the Coach House gallery, plus "Brunch with Santa" session

Christmas land train – every weekend starting, Saturday and Sunday 26th and 27th NovemberFestive train that links Astley Hall and the town centre.

Main Christmas attraction – Friday 9th December to Monday 2nd JanuaryIce rink, festive rides and tipis providing food and drink for visitors. Additional entertainment over the weekends, which will include ice sculptures on Saturday 10th and Saturday 17th December.