People from Edinburgh had an opportunity to make their mark on the Commonwealth Games as a nationwide tour visited the city at the weekend.
The Your Legacy 2014 tour was at The Gyle Shopping Centre, where locals were urged to get their picture taken and leave their personal wish of what the Games will bring to Scotland.
With communities across Scotland already benefiting from the legacy of the Games, the capital is set to reap some of the rewards.
Six Community Sport Hubs are being created across Edinburgh as part of the national network of 150 across the country, making it easier for locals to get more active and live healthier lifestyles.
More than £216,000 has also been awarded to 139 groups and individuals by the 2014 Communities Fund to boost physical activity while the city has also received £88,000 to help upgrade or improve facilities at Leith Links and Liberton High School.
Local businesses and organisations are also benefiting too. Eleven companies have won Games contracts while five organisations supporting the most disadvantaged have shared £627,570.
Sports clubs will also open their doors for the Festival of Sport which will run for two weeks from 24 August – 8 September 2013. Meadowbank Sports Centre and the Royal Commonwealth Pool will host a huge come and try day with more than 26 sports and 90 individual events including basketball, aquafit, athletics, tennis and cycling.
The Your Legacy 2014 tour is travelling the length and breadth of the country, capturing the enthusiasm and spirit of locals and sharing the benefits being felt in communities.
Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison said:-
She said:- “The Games coming to Scotland provides an exceptional opportunity to make our nation healthier, help our businesses to prosper and celebrate our modern and vibrant culture both at home and on the world stage. It’s not just about the elite athletes, it’s about individuals too and I hope people use this tour as an opportunity to be part of the excitement.
“We hope the tour will bring the spirit of the Games to every corner of the nation, highlighting the impact being felt in communities across Scotland. We want people to find out more about the benefits already being felt in their area and tell us their hopes for what the Games will bring.”
Councillor Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh’s Festivals and Events Champion, said: “We are very much looking forward to hosting the diving competitions here in Edinburgh and to playing our part in the Games. It promises to be a fantastic spectacle, which I’m sure will reflect well on the whole of Scotland.
“I would encourage local residents to come along to the Gyle Shopping Centre on Saturday and show their support.”
The thirteen date Your Legacy 2014 Tour will take in towns and cities across Scotland between 24 July and 18 August.
People were able to find out out how their local community is benefiting, get their photo taken adding their face to the legacy campaign, as well as placing their legacy wish on a specially-created wishing tree. A keepsake photoframe was given to each participant and photos can also be downloaded from the tour’s online gallery.
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