The Sussex Ice Rink in Brighton (the only ice rink in Sussex) has held its last public session.

Following in the footsteps of previous generations of our family, we have been regular skaters at the rink since the age of ten.

We are now 16. The rink offers teenagers jobs in the summer, helping to run the sessions and coffee bar.

People of all ages went to the rink and enjoyed the skating sessions.

Now the rink has closed, ice hockey training sessions and figure skating and ice dancing lessons have had to be cancelled.

We teenagers will have one fewer alternative to going to pubs. As people are more health-conscious now, skating is a great way for the family to exercise.

The ice rink brought trade into the city. Many parents dropped off their children there, where they knew they would be safe and have fun, while they were free to shop for a couple of hours.

You have only to travel to Guildford (too far for children to travel frequently) to find out how popular skating is.

Since the war, Brighton has never been without an ice rink. A city without a rink?

Surely there must be grants through Brighton and Hove City Council or the Lottery to keep the rink open? Please help.

-Abi and Vicky Feldwicke, Seaford