THE ice rink in Darlington town centre has proved a hit after figures released by organisers showed a rise in visitors.

The Christmas Wonderland Ice Rink in Market Square, organised by Distinct Darlington, the town's business improvement district, said people of all ages have been using the rink.

Visitor numbers show a 16 per cent increase in the number of people using the rink so far this month compared to the same point last year, and a 37 per cent rise in visitors since it opened three years ago.

“We’ve seen a year on year increase in the number of people who come along to enjoy the skating since we opened on December 6,” said Alex Hirst, manager of Distinct Darlington.

“Since we first launched the rink we’ve seen a massive growth in the number of skaters in the first week and it continues to grow in popularity each Christmas.”

The rink offers tickets for individual skaters as well as party packages for groups of any size and include catering.

The Christmas Wonderland Ice Rink will be open daily untilJanuary 4, excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

One hour’s skating is £5 for children under 12, £6 for adults and £19 for families, including skate hire.

For more information, or to book, contact the Dolphin centre on 01325-388406 or call in to the reception.