The final touches are being put to York's outdoor ice rink beneath Clifford's Tower, in preparation for its grand opening on Friday.

Organisers have laid down 14 tons of ice and some 15 kilometres of pipework to create the 600sq metre attraction.

Three-time Russian champion Olga Sharutenko will perform alongside her fellow countryman, Vadim Yarkov, at Ice Factor's glittering opening ceremony at 7pm.

The pair are both members of the Imperial Ice Stars troupe and will perform scenes from Swan Lake On Ice, which is currently touring the country.

Last year, Olga performed a solo ice dance at the opening of the rink and she has since partnered John Barrowman in ITV's Dancing On Ice programme.

More than 35,000 people flocked to the rink when it was in the city last year and organisers hope to attract even more this Christmas.

The Press has also backed the event and will help promote the festive rink, with major benefits to readers.

The rink will still be built around an oak tree, but will be slightly bigger this year to give more room to skaters. There will also be a 30ft high Christmas tree, as well as several other decorated Christmas trees sparkling with fairy lights.

There will also be an improved caf and bar area and new skates to hire.

The rink will be open to the public from Saturday until January 7.

It will open each day at 10am, with the final session being from 8.30pm to 9.45pm.

The price of admission will be £7.95 for adults and £6.50 for children, with family packages and concessions available.

Maria Farrugia, executive producer of The Ice Factor, said: "Schools from across North Yorkshire are already booking places, taking advantage of the discount prices for schools."

James Fenwick, managing director of Fenwick's department store, which is sponsoring the attraction, said: "We're very excited to see the return of The Ice Factor to the Eye of York, and delighted to be able to support this fun and festive initiative from City of York Council once again.

"The team behind The Ice Factor have done an outstanding job of improving the facilities this year with much more time to prepare. I am sure everyone will be very impressed."

Natalie Martin, promotions executive with Newsquest, York, said: "We are very excited about the return of The Ice Factor.

"There will be various competitions to win family tickets and two-for-one reader offers in the coming weeks which can be found in The Press."