A LONG fought battle has been lost with the town trying to save a much-loved ice rink.

Thousands of pounds has been given back to generous Bracknell donors who campaigned to save the John Nike Leisure Sport Complex.

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The fundraising page dubbed 'Help Save the Bracknell Ski Slope & Ice Rink' has closed with refunds being issued to residents who have donated to the cause.

Graeme Bower, one of the organisers of the fundraiser, has informed the community of the "disappointing development".

He posted on the page: "Due to the announcement of the new training rink in Bracknell the the GoFundMe for a new rink has been closed and we have requested refunds for all donors. We will post on here as soon as this is confirmed by GoFundMe.

"This is a disappointing development but the team feel that the new small training rink will be seen by many as 'job done' and that we have ice in Bracknell.

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"And whilst we wish the new training rink the very best of luck and we agree any ice is better than no ice, we do also feel that this is the end of the chances of an ice 'arena' in Bracknell (albeit it was a fairly slim chance).

"Good luck to those involved with the new rink and we would always be happy to help if asked."

Bosses of the John Nike Leisure Complex Group permanently closed the ice rink on Tuesday, July 14.

The group said it closed due to the financial strain of Covid-19 resulting in many people losing their jobs.