Ski slope report gets green light

Councillors have approved a report recommending price rises and cuts to staff costs at Scotland's biggest artificial ski slope.

The report recommended Midlothian Ski Centre at Hillend stayed open for the next five months while a series of efficiency savings were implemented. The plan is to make it more marketable to aid the search for national backers.

Midlothian Council, Scotland's second smallest authority, has spent more than £5m subsidising the centre since 1996. The plan is for council officials to come up with a strategy for the sale or lease of the site in August. It follows Midlothian Council's announcement it could not pay the site's £500,000 a year losses.

The report, which councillors voted on on Tuesday, also said it would cost £1.2m to close the slope down as there would be £300,000 in redundancy costs and £900,000 in dismantling fees. The proposed efficiency savings include increasing charges, improving the cafe and making staff changes.

Indoor ski slope opens at Bootle’s Strand shopping centre

THE UK’s first ski slope in a shopping centre was unveiled in Merseyside.

The artificial slope, measuring 14m long and standing 3.5m high, was an immediate hit when it opened in Bootle last night. But it almost did not arrive when the truck transporting it to The Strand shopping centre broke down.

Bootle town centre manager Chris White said: “The slope has provoked loads of interest. We are looking forward to having office people on the ski slope in their lunch hour.”

It opens from 10am-3pm Fri 27th and Sat 28th Nov.

About 50 fancy dress runners also took part in a 1k race in North Park.