England gets a curling rink at last!

Despite having every other facility - sporting or otherwise - this country has not had a single curling rink. And this is despite the fact that Britiain won a gold medal in the sport in the 2002 Winter Olympics. The situation in other countries is quite different with Scotland having a number of dedicated rinks and Canada having a large number for their 1m plus players. There is regular curling in many European countries.

Why has England missed out?

Well, there are not many ice rinks in England - and those that exist are used exclusively for skating and ice hockey. Curling has been tried on several of these but it doesn't really work - because insufficient time and skill is available to prepare the ice properly for curling.   So when people come to try it for the first time they find it almost impossible because the ice is too sticky.   Curling really needs properly prepared ice in an ice rink dedicated to the sport.

The situation changed in November 2004 with the opening of FENTON'S RINK.  The rink has been built exclusively for curling.   There is a small number of experienced curlers in southern England and Fenton's rink has created opportunities for them to play regularly and competitively.   Furthermore, we expect to have qualified curling coaches available to teach and encourage beginners. The project will only succeed if the game is taken up by local players, new to the sport. Last season several hundred people tried the game for the first time.

New curlers will be able to try the sport then be able to join a local club for regular curling. You will also have the opportunity to join the English Curling Association , which in turn is part of the World Curling Federation.

About Fenton's Rink

Having been a frustrated curler in England for over 30 years, Ernest Fenton, an exiled Scot, decided to create a 3-lane curling rink on his estate near Tunbridge Wells. The rink opened in November 2004 with an International Bonspiel, which attracted competitors from all over the world.