New ice age is here

Madonna's daughter Lourdes and Donna Air were among the first Londoners to get an early taste of Christmas when they tried out a new outdoor ice rink.

Lourdes, nine, laced up her skates for a spin on the rink in the garden of the Natural History Museum before it opened to the public, as stepfather Guy Ritchie kept a close eye on her from the side.

MTV presenter Air brought daughter Freya, two, to last night's opening, which was supported by the Evening Standard. Other guests included Lord Brocket, Heart FM DJ Harriet Scott and Strictly Come Dancing's Bill Turnbull.

"It's even better than the ice skating in Central Park in New York," said Lord Brocket. Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, with son David, 13, said: "It's a great location. This looks like it could well become a permanent fixture."

Skaters took a breather at the Victorian-style Christmas fair alongside.

The rink, sponsored by Panasonic, is the brainchild of Stephen Flintwood of sports agents IMG. "I came up with the idea while skating at Somerset House," he said.

"I really enjoyed it but realised how difficult it was to get tickets and thought, 'Where else would be good?'"

The rink is open until 22 January. For tickets, go to www.nhmskating.com