Scotland’s only cable wakeboarding centre expands after £240,000 funding boost from Social Investment Scotland
Foxlake Adventures, Scotland’s only cable wakeboarding park, has launched a second cable tow as the business looks to capitalise on strong visitor numbers and the growing popularity of wakeboarding as a sport.
Since opening last year, the park has welcomed over 3,000 visitors and hosted several high profile cable wakeboarding events. The park has proved hugely popular with young people as well as being visited by the GB snowboarding and freeski teams for training.
The new tow is part of a wider expansion funded by Social Investment Scotland (SIS) and will enable Foxlake to welcome more budding wake boarders to the centre, accommodate an increased number of community groups and ultimately grow the sport’s profile in Scotland. The expansion has already allowed Foxlake to employ four local young people in full and part-time posts, and it is also recruiting for a further four full-time seasonal staff for the peak summer period.
SIS provided £40k of funding to cover initial working costs and a further £200k from the Scottish Investment Fund, which it manages on behalf of the Scottish Government. Much of the remaining funding is being put towards the building of Europe’s first over-water low rope pole course, due to be opened this summer.
The adventure sports industry attracts 253,000 visits to Scotland each year. In the year of Natural Scotland, from its 100 acre site right next to John Muir Park, Foxlake is playing an active role in helping to encourage people to get outside and experience the wonderful range of outdoor activities Scotland has to offer.
Not only is Foxlake Scotland’s only cable wakeboarding centre, but it is also the only centre of its type in the UK to be run as a social enterprise. Foxlake works in partnership with Voluntary Development East Lothian through its MOBEX project to provide a training base for unemployed young people who want to learn outdoor adventure and environmental skills.
The park has also delivered four day British Water Ski and Wakeboard Cutting Edge courses to over 150 young people aged 8 -14 years through active schools and summer holiday programmes. Alongside this local schools and youth groups came and undertook one off sessions introducing young people to the sport for the first time.
Penny Lochhead, Director of Foxlake Adventures, said:- “The second cable tow means we can accommodate many more beginners at Foxlake who are keen to try cable wakeboarding for the first time. We very much hope to see Foxlake grow as a destination for adventure sport and we have exciting plans for how we can use that momentum to develop the site further and continue our commitment to the community.”
Wakeboarding is one of the fastest growing watersports in the world and was one of seven sports being considered for the 2020 Olympic Games. Disappointingly, the sport narrowly missed out on being shortlisted by the International Olympic Committee panel last week, but riders and organisations like Foxlake remain committed to growing the sport and taking it forward to 2024. Should they be successful, interest is set to explode across Scotland.
Connor Jones, member of the British Cable Wakeboard Team and runner up in the 2012 European Cable Wakeboarding Championship said:- “The guys at Foxlake have created an amazing atmosphere where young kids are encouraged to progress and enjoy this great sport. I hope to be back at Foxlake this summer for the Scottish Nationals and look forward to seeing some of the Foxlake youngsters in the junior British team before long.”
Chief executive of Social Investment Scotland, Alastair Davis, said:- “Businesses like Foxlake are particularly well suited to being run as social enterprises due to their ability to earn good revenue from the public while remaining a very accessible asset to the community. By establishing Foxlake as a social enterprise, Penny and her team have taken a unique, enterprising approach to promoting adventure sport while adding significant value to their community.
“Further SIS-funded developments at the park are planned for the coming year and I look forward to watching the park go from strength to strength.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
