Winter Olympics: Preston curling centre's boom thanks to medal success

Great Britain's Olympic curling success has led to a boom in bookings at one of England's only dedicated centres.

The women's team led by skipper Eve Muirhead won gold in Beijing while the men bagged silver. They were the only medals won at the Olympics by Team GB.

The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Lancashire is now almost fully booked for the next two weeks.

Curling is a bigger sport in Scotland, where it has been played since the 16th Century.

The country has 21 curling rinks, while Wales has one and there are three in England.

However, Fenton's Rink near Tunbridge, Kent, has been closed since November 2020 while the Cambridge Ice Arena's curling club meets just once a week.

The Flower Bowl, situated between Preston and Garstang, is England's only ice rink currently open full-time for dedicated curling.

Duty manager Matt Bailey said: "It's gone crazy since the Olympics, especially after we won the medals. It's all people are talking about as they come in, as well as the staff.

"They have seen it on the telly with the BBC coverage and now they all want to have a go.

"We are fully booked today and we have had a real surge in interest because of the Olympics.

"We are just about full for the next two weeks which is what we want."

Mr Bailey said they were "just about the only dedicated curling centre in England".

"Our ice is just for curling and we have four sheets for people to use. We have children as young as eight who come to play," he said.

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