SOUTHAMPTON businesses have given plans for a temporary ice rink over Christmas a frosty reception.

Organisers have secured just £10,000 of the £90,000 they hoped for meaning the taxpayer could have to foot the bill for the shortfall.

Meanwhile schemes in Winchester and Eastleigh have hit their sponsorship targets.

Due to open outside Southampton Guildhall on December 15 and run for six weeks until January 21, the rink is expected to attract more than 63,000 skaters and be the city's festive highlight.

But despite that and the guaranteed high profile from media partners such as the Southern Daily Echo, firms' enthusiasm has thawed.

The only sponsors onboard so far are WestQuay, West Quay Retail Park, Southampton Solent University and Breeze Volkswagen. Becky Holmes, head of public relations for marketing agency Carswell Gould which has been tasked with drumming up sponsor support said: "We have contacted literally hundreds of companies and been doing everything in our power. Although people are interested in the idea they are keen to see how it pans out so they can get involved next year.

"We have got four businesses involved with different degrees of commitment and it's very disappointing and very surprising. They would be seen by tens of thousands of people but there is genuine reluctance from business to get involved.

"Other areas have been doing it successfully but Southampton seems to be lagging behind."

Organisers have a range of options for sponsors, ranging from company logos under the ice and rink-side hoardings to branded tickets and themed events.

The council paid £135,000 for the rink from its General Fund Contingencies budget, and had hoped that between sponsorship and skaters paying up to £8-a-head, the scheme might even turn a profit.

In Eastleigh, firms parted with the necessary £3,000 to back the town's two-day Christmas Carol event, which featured a temporary ice rink.

Plans to set up a rink outside Winchester Cathedral over the Christmas period have also won business support with insurance giant Zurich the sole sponsor.

Cathedral marketing officer Charlotte Boyd said: "We went for a sole sponsor. We decided not to approach lots of people."

Shaun McGillivray, centre manager of West Quay Retail Park said the rink offered high visibility for the brand.

"The project is very important for the city, for both consumers and businesses," he said. "Thousands of people will be skating and watching the ice rink, and that means that thousands of eyes will be seeing our brand, and there is no better publicity than that."

Councillor Adrian Vinson, leader of the council, said: "It will not only appeal to the thousands of families who come to Southampton to do their Christmas shopping, but also in its own right to our local businesses, our children, local residents, and students. If, with the support of local businesses, the real ice rink is a success, we hope that it will become an annual part of Southampton's Christmas and New Year offer."

Contact Carswell Gould on 023 8023 8001 for information on sponsorship packages.