Ayrshire is getting ready to world class sport as the World Wheelchair Curling Championships roll into town next month.
Auchenharvie Leisure Centre in Stevenston will be the venue as 24 nations get set to battle it out for the mixed team and mixed doubles titles from March 1 to March 16.
It will be the first time since 1961 – when Ayr hosted the Scotch Cup, the event which later became the men’s world championship – that Ayrshire has hosted a world curling championships.
Paralympic qualification is on the line as athletes get one last chance to grab as many points as possible to secure a place at Milano-Cortina 2026.
Tickets to the championships are free and both athletes and organisers are encouraging Ayrshire’s residents to come out in their numbers to watch the event.
A range of organisations have been involved in putting the events together including Scottish Curling, World Curling and National Lottery funding as well as the support of North Ayrshire Council and KA Leisure.
Team Scotland’s Jo Butterfield – a gold medal winner at the Rio 2016 summer Paralympics – is looking forward to her first home world championships after winning bronze in Richmond, British Colombia in 2023.
Speaking to Ayrshire Live, Jo said: “I think this year is particularly exciting because we are here in Scotland. It is pretty rare as an athlete that you get to compete in front of your friends and family so I think this year is really exciting.
“It’s also the final opportunity to get the last few points we need for the Paralympic Games.
“I have not had a home world championship before. I’ve only been to one and that was in Canada – nobody could get there and the Canadians had a lot of support.
“It will be good for us to have that support.
“Our aim, really, is to get the qualifying points we need for the Paralympic Games. We have no ceiling at all though, we are going to give our best to get the most we can.
“We have been working really hard as a team to work together and look after one another and if we can do that, there’s nobody that we can’t beat.
“There’s not many opportunities you get to see world class sport so, it’s on your doorstep, come along and see what it’s like.
“There will be people out there who have never heard of curling let alone wheelchair curling but we have some of the best curlers in the world here.
“We would love for you to come out and support us and give us a good crowd.”
Jason Kean has been curling for just over a year and helped England to qualify for the world championships by coming third in the World Wheelchair B Championships in November.
It’s almost 20 years since England last competed in the world championships and Jason is looking forward to a “home” championship.
He said: “I’m really excited for England coming to the world championships. It is the first time since 2006 that England has took part in the world A championships.
“A lot of work has been put in and I can’t wait.
“It is the closest we get to a home world championships and that does make it a bit special. Normally, you get to jet set around the world for world championships so when it was announced that it was at Auchenharvie, it was a lot less stressful.
“We are really excited to be here.
“My message to people in Ayrshire who might be interested is to come along, it is really exciting. You’ll see toing and froing on the ice, there will be cheering and jeering, it’ll be great fun.”
Scotland and England will be going head-to-head in both the mixed team event on Tuesday, March 4 and the mixed doubles on Monday, March 10.
It is a friendly rivalry though as England are ineligible for Paralympic qualification points so they will be supporting their Scottish counterparts to have a chance of selection for Team GB.
Rosemary Lenton has sat on both sides of the divide – winning para-lawn bowls gold for Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and now coach of the England wheelchair curling team.
During the summer, England train in Preston but, when the curling season starts, they are up in Scotland and based in Dumfries.
Rosemary said: “It is great to have it in a home venue and not have a huge flight ahead of us.
“It does make it special because we train primarily in Scotland and we train alongside the Scotland squad – with them in fact. It is very much like being on home territory.
“I would say, whether you have seen curling before or not, definitely come along. If you are in wheelchair or disabled in anyway, come along because you will see a sport which may just appeal to you.
“We have a player who has only been in a chair a very short space of time and he is competing at the world championships – that could be you.”
Tickets are available free from Scottish Curling on Eventbright (mixed team and mixed doubles) and donations can be made to the Scottish Curling Trust for anyone able to so.
Don’t miss the latest Ayrshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter