The Ice Melters Curling Club is a

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

club based in

Southern England Southern England, or the South of England, also known as the South, is an area of England consisting of its southernmost part, with cultural, economic and political differences from the Midlands and the North. Officially, the area includes ...

. It was formed in June 2003, by Chris Munns, who wanted to provide curling opportunities for those based in England (a country that at the time had no curling facilities whatsoever). This was achieved by club members regularly traveling to other countries within

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

to both train and compete. At the same time, the club actively campaigned for the introduction of curling facilities in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In November 2004 the club was able to base itself at England's first ever dedicated curling rink when Fenton's Rink, near

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, opened to the public. Privately owned, funded and built by a local landowner (and not any specific curling club) the rink is now at the heart of English curling.

Champions

In January 2005, the Ice Melters Curling Club became inaugural Superleague Champions at Fenton's Rink, while it continues to send teams to compete at various bonspiels throughout Europe.

Twin Club

The Ice Melters Curling Club is twinned with Malmö Curlingklubb in Sweden, with the twinning aimed at promoting friendship and providing additional curling opportunities for the members of both clubs.

Community Amateur Sports Club

During 2004, the Ice Melters Curling Club was awarded 'Community Amateur Sports Club' status within the UK. The award recognises the quality of the club set-up and its policy of membership being available to all, regardless of location, nationality, gender, age or ability.

Charity

The Ice Melters Curling Club also works hard on behalf of 'The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Benevolent Fund', raising money for the registered charity each summer through a number of sponsored activities.

External links

Ice Melters Curling Club – Official Website

Malmö Curlingklubb – Official Website

The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
{{Royal Tunbridge Wells Curling clubs established in 2003 Curling clubs in England Sport in Royal Tunbridge Wells 2003 establishments in England