CHESTER city centre may have been without an ice rink this Christmas but residents of Chester’s Garden Quarter were slip, sliding away happily in their very own Winter Wonderland.
Bridge Foyer, which offers supported housing for 16- to 25-year-olds, was opened to the public with an ice rink, reindeer, live music and a giant Father Christmas. There were also festive stalls from the community.
Operations manager Andy Edwards said: “Thank you to everyone who came and visited, had a skate and a bowl of homemade soup, bought a cake and guessed the number of sweets.
“We have had really positive feedback and it’s great everyone enjoyed themselves.”
Local supporters included Chester Ladies Choir, the band Beardsmith and Chester Giants. Bridge Foyer residents also provided music.
Mr Edwards added: “This was a working assets event, aimed at forging positive relationships with the local area and spreading the word about the good work that foyers do.
“More than 300 visitors, young and old, shows that it was a big success.”
The project was part-funded by The Foyer Federation and Arena Housing and foyer residents made Christmas items to sell.
Sponsorship was secured from Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port and Genuine Business of Chester.
Mr Edwards said: “We more or less broke even and have had really good feedback from the Garden Quarter Association.
“It has the potential to be even bigger and better next year and is hopefully the start of new partnerships to come.”
