See how Dancing on Ice fan transformed her back garden into an ice skating rink
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ITV's celebrity skating show Dancing on Ice has been keeping fans entertained as the famous contestants and their partners get their skates on in hope of impressing the judges.
Related: This Hinch-worthy hallway makeover makes the right impression – it's stunning! (opens in new tab)
One fearless fan has taken her love for the show to a new level by creating her own ice rink in her back garden. Polly Maclennan, from Gloucester, used items sold by her employer BiGDUG to create the rink in her garden.
Inspired by Polly, the company has now made an ice rink kit which is available to buy online.
How to make an ice skating rink
Buy now: BiGDUG Build-at-Home Ice Rink kit (opens in new tab)
When the freezing cold weather descended on much of the UK recently, Polly saw it as the perfect excuse to get creative and bring her idea to life. The 35-year-old used desk dividers to make her winter dream come to life.
'I was sat on the sofa one Sunday watching Dancing On Ice, which was brilliant as always, and the idea really did just hit me. I already knew BiGDUG had the things I needed to make my ice rink happen as we sell pop-up desk dividers from Pallite, so when the snow came I just went for it – and it worked!'
'Polly is often coming up with weird and wonderful ideas and when she mentioned this one we loved it,' a BiGDUG spokesperson said.
'Being stuck at home with limited entertainment is something most of us can relate to at the moment, so we thought what better way to bring a little fun to day-to-day lockdown life than with a Build-at-Home Ice Rink kit.
'It’s the perfect way to get outdoors and make the most of the weather without breaking restrictions – just don’t go trying the headbanger at home!'
Included in BiGDUG’s kit is everything the stay-at-home skater extraordinaire needs to build their bespoke rink up to a maximum size of 5m x 3m. The ice rink can be set up in five easy steps.
Find a flat area of the garden for the ice rink to go and create the rink perimeter by choosing the number of sideboards you need. Erect the sideboards and stabilise with ground hooks by piercing a hole near the bottom of the board and securing down into the grass with your feet.
Lay down the rink liner over the boards and use the BiGDUG mallet to press the liner into the corners and along the edges of the sideboards. Prepare and attach the rink buffers to the top of your sideboards to make sure skaters are safe from bumping into the side of the rink.
Related: How to make an outdoor cinema
Fill with three inches of water and hope for a cold night.

Millie Hurst is Senior Content Editor at Ideal Home. She first joined the team at the start of 2021. Previously, she worked in women’s lifestyle and homes news, writing about everything from budget kitchen makeovers and gardening tips to homeware dupes and cleaning hacks. Millie can often be found looking up trending terms, spotting news stories our readers need to know about and finding ways to decorate her rented flat.
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