Three of GB's Paralympic curlers train in a converted bowling hall in Dumfries

DUMFRIES

The Dumfries Ice Bowl was not built to make Paralympians. It was built as an indoor bowling hall. When curling outgrew its shared ice and the local authority converted the space into a dedicated curling venue in 2010, what followed surprised everyone - including the man who has worked there for 25 years.

“Since the dedicated curling hall opened in 2010, we’ve been able to really improve the training facilities and resources available to curlers. That is where it’s all started - and what has allowed people to explore the competitive side and excel on the world stage.” - Graham Sloan, Curling Development Manager, Dumfries Ice Bowl

Today, Dumfries Ice Bowl has around 400 members across all ages, with wheelchair and able-bodied curlers competing side by side. Five or six wheelchair users play regularly, with a further six to ten coming in for training. English wheelchair curling squads also use the venue for training camps.

Three athletes, three stories

Jason Keane, 39, competes in the mixed doubles. Four years ago he was involved in a serious accident and spent five months in hospital before being introduced to wheelchair curling through English Curling.

“It’s been a remarkable journey. There were plenty of moments where I didn’t know if I’d ever get here, so to be competing at this level now is something I’m really proud of. Wheelchair Curling has completely changed my life.” - Jason Keane, ParalympicsGB wheelchair curler

Stewart Pimblett, from London and Newcastle, found wheelchair curling by watching it at the Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics. Finding no club to join, he founded one - Northern Ice, England’s first wheelchair curling club. He went on to skip the England team at the 2025 World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Stevenston, Ayrshire, where he also won the award for sportsmanship.

Karen Aspey, from Wigan, was invited to a come-and-try curling session in 2021 by Stewart Pimblett, whom she knew through wheelchair basketball. She had previously competed internationally in wheelchair racing, powerlifting and wheelchair basketball. Four years later, she is making her Paralympic debut at Milano-Cortina 2026.

“All of our curlers have got a story that is inspiring. The fact that they come back in and take up the sport and really apply themselves - dedicating a lot of time to their training, to being physically fit, looking at all the small details that make them strong athletes - they’re definitely inspiring.” - Graham Sloan, Curling Development Manager, Dumfries Ice Bowl

The National Lottery connection

Every National Lottery ticket contributes to the £32 million raised every week for Good Causes. Some of that reaches the ice at Dumfries. sportscotland has invested more than £5.5 million in National Lottery grants to Scottish Curling, funding development officers, coaching programmes and training costs.

This year, Dumfries Ice Bowl received additional funding from Scottish Curling to do more outreach work, staying open longer and opening earlier for next season.

Eilidh McCall-Lawrie, Head of Sport and Communities at Scottish Curling, says the free sessions this Saturday are a direct way for National Lottery players to see what their support has built.

“Venues like Dumfries receive National Lottery money back from us as a governing body to help keep them going - through competitions they host, through development funding they can bid for, and through partnerships we run together. Dumfries were successful in securing additional funding this year specifically to do more on the back of the Olympics and Paralympics. None of this would have been possible without National Lottery players, and National Lottery Open Week is the perfect opportunity to say thank you to them and get them through the door.” - Eilidh McCall-Lawrie, Head of Sport & Communities, Scottish Curling

For Graham, the free sessions this Saturday are also a thank-you to the players who made it possible.

“The Winter Paralympics and National Lottery Open Week give us a great platform to really push the sport. The funding from National Lottery players has been transformative for curling in Scotland - Open Week is our opportunity to give something back and say thank you.” - Graham Sloan, Curling Development Manager, Dumfries Ice Bowl

Visit our National Lottery Open Week site to discover all the offers in Scotland and across the UK available to players until 15 March.