A FAMILY is trying to track down a treasure trove of memories of a former ice rink.

Durham rink, on the banks of the River Wear, operated from 1940 to 1996, when it closed and became a bowling alley.

Newspaper cuttings chronicling the rink were kept in two large scrapbooks, which are missing.

Now Agnes Payne, grand-daughter of the rink's founder, Icy Smith, is appealing for help to find them.

She decided to look at them, thinking they were still in the family, when The Northern Echo published a story on the rink's history in August, but found that no one knows where they are.

The books, which are 24in long and 30in wide, contain stories, many from The Northern Echo and The Durham Advertiser, about the rink, figure skaters and the Durham Wasps ice hockey team.

Mrs Payne, of Sacriston, County Durham, herself a figure skater, said the books contained family memories.

She said: "I am the youngest of eight in our family and I thought somebody else had them, but they have not.

"We have spoken to the rink's new owners and the people who owned it before them and they have not seen them.

"They could have been lying around for years. Somehow, they have been misplaced. They were so much a treasure to the family.

"We are all devastated because they are something that cannot be replaced. We would just love to get them back again."

One of the books has a soft tan leather cover and the other, with a leather binding, has Coroner Graham written on the front.

Anyone who knows where the books are is asked to call Mrs Payne on 0191-371 2998.