sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund has awarded £240,000 to community projects in Edinburgh. Two projects in particular will benefit from the funding from National Lottery.
City of Edinburgh Gymnastics Club will receive £100,000 to create a dedicated gymnastics facility and Edinburgh International Climbing Arena will receive £41,750 for a new slab wall.
Minister for Public Health and Sport, Mairi Gougeon said: “I welcome this latest investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund which will make a real difference to people across Scotland. We know that being active brings about positive changes beyond participation and can impact positively on people in communities in creating new relationships and being better connected.
“This fund supports projects that seek to create or improve the places where people take part in sport and physical activity. This will enable communities to provide more opportunities for participation by removing barriers and increasing access to sport for all.”
In total, £1,264,750 will be shared between 15 projects across Scotland for clubs and communities, schools and education establishments, or performance sport environments.
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said: “The projects receiving funding today demonstrate real ambition and commitment to improving the lives of their communities through sport and physical activity. I am delighted that we can support their work through this investment.
“It’s important to recognise that without National Lottery players this level of investment simply would not be possible so we must say a huge thank you to everyone who has bought a National Lottery ticket. Their contribution means that we are able to help clubs and communities achieve their aim of creating the right facilities to develop sport and physical activity in their local area.”
Projects could apply to sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund for awards of up to £100,000 for capital projects designed to create or improve the places where people take part in sport and physical activity.
The addition of a new slab wall at Edinburgh International Climbing Arena will allow Edinburgh Leisure to provide more access to the sport of climbing from beginners to intermediate level. The new wall will be particularly beneficial in creating more opportunities for Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities Programme which targets those who might need additional support to get active such as people with disabilities, people experiencing poor mental health, LGBTI groups, BAME communities, and care experienced children and young people.
June Peebles, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Leisure, said: “We would like to thank sportscotland’s Sports Facilities Fund for supporting a new slab wall at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena.
“Edinburgh Leisure is a charity committed to creating opportunities for people to get active and stay active. The new climbing wall will enable more people to get involved in climbing, especially at entry level. We’re delighted at the prospect of even more people enjoying the fantastic health and social benefits that climbing offers.”
The £100,000 investment in City of Edinburgh Gymnastics Club will allow this successful club to create a permanent home, increasing capacity and allowing gymnasts to progress in the sport, whatever their level. It will also allow the club to develop more coaches, increasing their ability to grow the sport.
Ruth Griffin, Club Development Officer from City of Edinburgh Gymnastics Club, welcomed their investment: “This award will bring to life our facility dreams, by creating opportunities for up to 1000 more people to enjoy the sport of gymnastics in Edinburgh. The award will help us to purchase state of the art gymnastics equipment and to build a training environment suitable for users of any ability.
“Unrestricted access to a specialist gymnastics facility allows CEGC the chance to reach far into the community and encourage people of all ages, ability, gender and background the chance to get involved in sport and exercise.
“We have seen the impact that involvement in sport has on individuals and how participation creates a feeling of belonging, wellbeing and achievement and know that this award will help us to address barriers to participation allowing many more people to benefit in this way.”
This funding round of a total of £1.25 million gave priority to increasing participation in sport and physical activity among young people, women and girls, disabled people and deprived or rural communities.
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