Adventure park set for Highland capital
A major adventure park project in Inverness is to be launched after a £94,000 cash boost from the Scottish.
The city is one of the first to benefit from a grant from the £10 million fund to develop and revamp sports and recreation facilities throughout Scotland in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
An adventure area including space climbing nets, zip wires and interactive play equipment will be built at Inshes Park in Inverness offering people in the local community a new and fun way to get active.
Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison today announced the first 24 projects to benefit and urged more Inverness sport and physical activity projects to apply for a share of the £10 million fund.
With projects across Scotland securing funding to build play parks, upgrade walking trails and refurbish football pitches, grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 are still available. The closing date for the next round of applications will be on 1 July.
Ms Robison said: "Communities across Scotland will directly benefit from the Games with the award of this funding to upgrade facilities across the country.
"This fund allows individuals, young and old, increased access to sport and physical activity, whilst also developing the skills and experience of users, coaches and volunteers.
"The fund is open for further applications and I’d encourage local communities to apply now for their share of the £10 million pot."
A total of £1,228,727 has been awarded to projects in 15 local authorities with more to be announced shortly. With additional funding from partners, communities are seeing more than £3.3million invested in facilities across Scotland.
The £200,000 park is also being funded by the Inverness Common Good fund, with support from Inshes Community Association.
Roy Pedersen, Chair of Inshes Community Association, said: "The Active Places funding will be essential in helping to provide an adventure area within Inshes Park - something which the community here has always wanted and why we set-up the Community Association to make this aspiration a reality.
"We are delighted that we have been granted this funding and can now look at starting work on the project later this year.
"While the development itself will take a few years, the park will ultimately provide the whole community with a fun, healthy way to get fit. T
"his highlights the real legacy of what the Commonwealth Games can bring to Scotland and we are looking forward to starting this legacy right here on our doorstep."
The fund is administered by sportscotland.
Louise Martin, Chair of sportscotland, said: "We are capitalising on the excitement and fervour surrounding Glasgow 2014 by accelerating our plans to implement a world-class sporting system at every level.
"We now have many excellent top-end facilities in Scotland, which are being used by high performance athletes as well as grassroots and club participants, and we are continuously improving community sport facilities.
"The Active Places Fund is an important component of delivering a lasting sporting legacy from hosting the Games and will have a very positive impact on communities right across Scotland."
Work on the adventure park is set to begin later this year.
