A new research report into the work of sportscotland has found that participation programmes supported by the national agency for sport are having a life-changing effect on those who are taking part. Continue reading Life changing: Perry praises Active Schools
An innovative project to encourage girls at city high schools to become more active is being launched by the City of Edinburgh Council today.
The first ‘Girls Day Out’ conference has been organised by the Council’s Active Schools team and aims to inspire, encourage and support girls to become more active, raise the profile of successful girls and their achievements and educate girls on the power of sport.
The event, which has been organised in partnership with Youth Scotland and sportscotland, will involve more than 150 girls from S1 to S5 year groups across the city who will gather at Wester Hailes Education Centre, from 10am until 2pm.
It will be an interactive, fun packed day where the girls will hear from inspiring female role-models and learn about the power of sport. The day will be made up of a number of workshops including nutrition, a mental wellbeing and alternative physical activity sessions including jump rope, trampolining and PiYo (cross between Pilates and Yoga).
Partners Youth Scotland, who will support the delivery of some of the workshops on the day, have also funded for the girls who attend the conference to be put through the Dynamic Youth Awards which is a peer-assessed awards recognising the contributions and achievements of young people in the 10+ age group.
Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener for Education, Children & Families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Often girls give up sport when they start at high school so ‘Girls Day Out’ is a great way to encourage them to become more active and discover the different and fun ways to achieve this.
“I am sure that the great programme of activities at Wester Hailes today will show the girls the benefits of taking part in PE, sport and physical activity.”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: “Our aim with Active Girls is to work with our partners to increase participation in PE, sport and physical activity amongst girls and young women. ‘Girls Day Out’ is a terrific way for schools, clubs and hubs to showcase the opportunities available both locally and nationally.
“The Active Schools team here in Edinburgh has put together a very comprehensive and innovative programme to highlight the benefits of an active lifestyle in a fun and interactive way. I’m sure it will be a great success.”
Gracemount Leisure Centre has a new state-of-the-art gymnastics sprung floor. The 12m x 12m carpeted floor is the same type as that used in the Rio 2016 Olympics and will be used for the World Championships and all British Gymnastics events. Continue reading Gymnasts: spring into action!
‘This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active’ – Sarah Robertson, sportscotland
This week sees construction commence on a new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.
The new skatepark is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.
The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland
The inspiration for the project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.
The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community. The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT earlier this year and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.
50% of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enable communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.
Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said: “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use.
“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.
The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.
Local Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the skatepark working group, said: “I am pleased the Drylaw Skatepark work has started. It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened.”
Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel.
Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said: “We are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage. We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”
The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.
sportscotland today announced a new £20 million National and Regional Facilities Investment, but the Scottish Greens are urging consultation with users to ensure sport can be ‘accessible, affordable and enjoyable’ for all.
The national agency for sport has identified a number of areas in Scotland which can benefit from improved facilities and will work closely with its partners in local authorities and Scottish Governing Bodies of sport to help deliver new projects.
This new investment strand will result in large multi-purpose sports facilities, which will enhance the existing network of national and regional sports facilities across Scotland.
These new facilities will be available for communities to use as well as performance athletes at regional and national levels.
On the eve of Glasgow 2014 – the largest multi-sport event in Scotland’s history – sporting facilities in the country are the best they have ever been and are set to improve even further.
A number of centres of sporting excellence are already in place across Scotland, including Aberdeen Sports Village, the Emirates Arena, Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and Tollcross Acquatics Centre in Glasgow, Dundee’s Dick McTaggart Gymnastics Centre and Olympia swimming centre, Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool, The PEAK in Stirling, and the Ravenscraig Regional Facility in Motherwell.
These excellent facilities resulted from sportscotland’s previous investment of £44.3 million, as part of the National Regional Sports Facilities Strategy, complementing some £300 million capital investment from local authorities.
In addition, Scotland’s £30 million National Performance Centre for Sport will be completed by 2016 at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University campus.
Today’s £20 million facilities announcement will be prioritised in areas identified as requiring improvements, ensuring more athletes have access to high quality sports facilities and services.
Highland, Tayside & Fife, Ayrshire, East (Edinburgh), Stirling, and the Scottish Borders have been identified as areas which could benefit from this strategy.
Outlining details of this new facilities investment strand, sportscotland Chief Executive Stewart Harris said: “We have capitalised on Glasgow 2014 by accelerating our plans for a world-class sporting system at every level thanks to National Lottery and Scottish Government funding, and today’s £20 million investment announcement is a significant milestone in delivering even more excellent sporting facilities for the people of Scotland and performance athletes to use.
“The standards of facilities in Scotland are the best they have ever been, and today we are outlining a new investment stream which will further enhance the existing network. The National and Regional Facilities Investment will provide more and better opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to take part in sport and physical activity.”
Welcoming today’s announcement, the Cabinet Secretary for the Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison, said: “Investing in new multi-purpose sports centres will open up even more opportunities for people to try new sports and lead healthier and more active lives. Scotland already enjoys world-class facilities and with just days until the Commonwealth Games begin, this £20 million pound investment demonstrates our long term ambitions for sport.
“We are committed to making Scotland a healthier nation, from helping people of all ages to enjoy sport to supporting athletes to compete at the highest level. By working with local authorities and sporting bodies, the National and Regional Facilities Fund will create a lasting legacy from the Games for years to come.”
Whilst also welcoming the investment, Green MSP for Lothian Alison Johnstone, who is sport spokesperson for her party, is calling for consultation with user groups to determine how the £20million should be used to improve sporting facilities.
The MSP, who is a former competitive athlete and qualified athletics coach, said: “While I welcome investment in facilities that cater for a broad range of needs, it’s vitally important that we see meaningful consultation with all user groups. In deciding where this money is spent we must listen to the needs of athletes, coaches, governing bodies and leisure facility users.
“The demise of Meadowbank stadium in Edinburgh is a classic example of what not to do. We need to ensure new and upgraded facilities come with realistic maintenance budgets and appropriately trained staff. We need to make sure no area is left behind in the race to create a Commonwealth Games legacy.
“Given the health issues our society faces from inactive lifestyles, and the growing cost to the NHS, we must take every opportunity to make sport accessible, enjoyable and affordable.”
The city council has also welcomed the sportscotland announcement of £50m investment over the next four years.
Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener of Education, Children and Families said: “Today’s announcement by sportscotland is great news for school children in Edinburgh and I’m delighted there will be funding for another four years. 2014 is a really big year for sport in Scotland with the Commonwealth Games taking centre stage and thanks to our fantastic Active Schools team there have been some amazing sporting events taking place across the Capital.
“In May our ‘Tri-umph Triathlon’ attracted over 1,700 children and was followed by the hugely successful Games @ THE HUB. These events provide children with a great opportunity to experience a variety of different sports which they will hopefully be inspired to take up outside of school.”
Drylaw’s skate park project has received a major boost wth news of a £100,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Legacy Active Places fund. Drylaw is one of 40 projects to receive funding from the £2 million programme, it was announced yesterday.
The Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s Commonwealth Games Legacy 2014 programme, which will give communities across Scotland more and better places to be active.
| The Drylaw project, which is being managed by Edinburgh and Lothian Greenspace Trust in partnership with Drylaw Telford Commnity Council and Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, will see the creation of a new skate park on the southern part of the existing BMX track in Easter Drylaw Park. The main features will include mini ramp, bowl, open area and rhythm sections. |
Communty council chair Alex Dale said: ” This is good news for the project and means we have now secured half of the funding we need. We are now in the process of putting together an application to a Charitable Trust for £50,000:00p and Councillor Lesley Hinds is talks with the city council’s Sport & Physical Activity Department of thCEC and we are hopeful they will fund the remainder.
“At present these are all if and but’s, but with yesterday news announced by the First Minister Alex Salmond this will be the key to open the ‘Pandora Box’ and help to secure these final pieces of funding to allow us to go to the contract tendering stage of the Skatepark Project. Its taken a bit of time but hopefully we are on the way to achieving the park that the youth of Drylaw have pushed hard for.”
The First Minister made the acnnouncements whle visiting the bust of Hawick rugby legend Bill McLaren in Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick, where he confirmed that Bill McLaren Park Ltd has been granted £77,000 to help build three all-weather tennis courts in the town.
Other projects to benefit from the funding include Arbroath Skate Park, Cycle Speedway at Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline, a play park climbing wall in Buchlyvie and a Trim Trail with play equipment at Elphinstone Primary School in East Lothian.
The announcement is the second allocation of funds from the Scottish Government’s £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.
The First Minister said:
“Glasgow 2014 will be the largest sporting and cultural event Scotland has ever hosted and with less than one-year to go – there is a great sense of pride and excitement around the Games.
“The investment in this community facility in Hawick – and many others across Scotland – is part of this government’s vision to deliver a lasting legacy through the Games, by improving local facilities and encouraging people to get active, either through sport or something simple like going for a walk.
“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.
“Across Scotland local communities will benefit from the Active Places Fund giving people of all ages the opportunity to be part of the excitement created through the Games.”
David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said:
“The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games is an opportunity to build a legacy in Glasgow, Scotland and across the Commonwealth in jobs, health and sport.
“Within the Organising Committee and alongside our Games Partners, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Commonwealth Games Scotland, there is a shared sense of purpose and ambition.
“Our focus is to deliver for Glasgow and Scotland an outstanding Games and, beyond that, to leave a powerful legacy well into the future with our showcase for world-class sport having a tangible community relevance.”
Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland, said:
“sportscotland and the Scottish Government are working closely to deliver a successful sporting legacy from Glasgow 2014, and the Active Places Fund is a key component of that vision.
“Sporting facilities for both performance athletes and local communities are the best they have ever been in Scotland.
“We are well placed to capitalise on the growing captivation surrounding next year’s Games as we continue to expand Scotland’s stock of excellent facilities and provide more and better opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in sport and physical activity.”
Other succesful Edinburgh applicants include Warriston Community Tennis Club, Cramond Parent and Staff Association, Edinburgh Leisure, North Merchiston club, Buckstone Primary School and Drummond Communty High School.
Four-year plan to capitalise on ‘Murray mania’ in Scotland
The Scottish Government’s national agency for sport, sportscotland, and Tennis Scotland, the sport’s Governing Body, have announced a new four-year investment stream aimed at capitalising on the phenomenal success of Andy Murray.
sportscotland is investing £5.8 million into tennis in Scotland over the next four years to help modernise and develop the sport’s structure by improving facilities and widening access.
The objectives are to grow participation rates, increase the sport’s accessibility, and provide suitable environments to develop athletes to performance levels.
Since 2008 Tennis Scotland’s membership has increased from 32,715 to 47,657 – a rise of 45.7 per cent.
The new investment will improve tennis facilities in Scotland – both in clubs and courts in public parks – and increase the sport’s accessibility for those looking to emulate Scotland’s Wimbledon and multiple Grand Slam champion.
In addition, the new money will enhance the regional development team at Tennis Scotland, which will help to further increase participation, develop closer links between schools and places to play tennis, opening up better pathways for the sport, and work with Local Authorities to prioritise the rejuvenation of park courts.
Speaking at the Gannochy National Tennis Centre at the University of Stirling today, Sports Minister Shona Robison said: “Andy’s win was an emotional moment for Scotland and the whole country has been inspired by his brilliant performance.
“We want to see more people playing tennis and having access to top quality facilities to get fit, try something new, and have fun. This money is all about making sure the right facilities are there to help people get more active, as well as helping to create the tennis stars of the future to keep those Wimbledon wins coming!”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, added: “Andy’s Wimbledon victory was a defining moment for Scottish sport, and we are working collectively to capitalise on his incredible success. Today’s announcement will make it more accessible for people in Scotland to play tennis in improving facilities.
“It’s important that we take this unique chance to help grow the game in Scotland by providing more and better opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to play, and to assist the young players of today to emulate their hero from Dunblane by becoming the stars of tomorrow.”
Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland, David Marshall, said: “Never in the history of the game has tennis enjoyed such a level of profile in this country, and today’s announcement greatly enhances Tennis Scotland’s ability to take advantage of what is a huge opportunity to significantly increase levels of participation throughout the country.”
Supporting today’s initiative, Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “Andy’s victory has inspired a nation, and this is a great opportunity to get more people playing tennis in Scotland. We’re committed to investing in places and programmes which will help to make tennis a game for everyone, and we are working with Tennis Scotland and sportscotland in order to achieve this goal.”
However while welcoming the announcement Scottish Green MSP for Lothian Alison Johnstone – a former competitive athlete and a member of Holyrood’s cross-party group on sport – has warned that tennis should ‘serve as a lesson’.
She said: “Andy Murray’s victory has inspired a nation and we’ll see a welcome increase in interest in tennis in Scotland as a result. It’s a shame the investment we’re now being promised has taken so long to materialise.
“Tennis used to be something anyone could do by simply walking on to their local court but over the years these facilities have been neglected or sold off for development. Governments at national and local level have allowed sports such as tennis to become costly and convoluted when they should be affordable and accessible.”
The Green MSP went on: “Many Scots will remember walk-on courts in their local parks and playing fields that are now grassed or concreted over, deemed costly and unnecessary. Promising to revive the public tennis courts in our town and city parks is a welcome step and they must be maintained for future generations. This sudden splashing of cash by government must serve as a lesson to those in authority that failure to invest in sport and leisure is a false economy.”
More than 1,000 primary school pupils will compete in one of the biggest ever school sports events in Edinburgh next week. The P6 pupils are taking part in the Games @ THE HUB event at Forrester High School Community Sports Hub next Wednesday (12 June).
Clyde, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games mascot, will also be making an appearance at the start of the event to welcome all the pupils.
This is the first event of its kind delivered by Active Schools and its purpose is to promote participation in sport in the build-up to Glasgow 2014. Pupils will compete in ten different sports: hockey, football, rugby, basketball, netball, gymnastics, cricket, volleyball, boccia and tennis.
As well as the pupils taking part over fifty volunteers from the Young Ambassador programme – which is delivered by sportscotland in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust – and school sports leaders from across the city will be lending a hand to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day.
Jodi McGinty, a platinum Young Ambassador and torch bearer at the Olympics, will be presenting the shields to the winning teams. Jodi is also on the Young People’s Sport Panel, which is led by sportscotland in partnership with Young Scot.
One of the events is the Paralympic Sport Boccia which 10 of the teams will be trying out. Boccia is related to bowls and was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other disabilities.
Primary schools will send teams of 10 P6 pupils, both boys and girls, to take part in a competitive session in the morning and then a participative event in the afternoon. These sessions will be run by Children & Families’ Sports Development Officers, National Governing Bodies and local community clubs.
Active Schools hope this will be the start of an annual event. Each year, primary schools across the city will be able to take part in the competitive session of each sport where the winner will be presented with a shield.
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Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener for Education (pictured above), said: “Glasgow 2014 presents us with a fantastic opportunity to promote a variety of sports across the Capital and this event is a great way of promoting this. I’m going along on the day to see everyone taking part and am delighted that so many primary school pupils are getting the opportunity to experience Games @ THE HUB.
“The facilities at Forrester/St Augustine’s are second to none and I know everyone will have a great time. Hopefully many of the children will be inspired to take up some of the sports outside of school and I want to thank everyone involved especially all the volunteers.”
Jacqueline Lynn, sportscotland’s Head of School and Community Sport, said: “The Games @ THE HUB event is sure to be an action-packed day of sport and physical activity and it will by wonderful to see so many pupils taking part.
“We are committed at sportscotland to increasing the opportunities for children and young people to participate in school sport, and significant progress is being made through our Active Schools Network and Community Sport Hub initiative. The Active Schools team in Edinburgh has done an excellent job in organising this event and we commend them for their efforts.”
A whole host of agencies have got together to organise and support Inverleith’s Youth and Children’s Summer Park Events, and the programme kicks off at Ravleston Park on Monday (2 July) from 1 – 3pm with a portable football pitch, games, music, sports activities and more.
Further park events are planned at Ravelston again (Monday 16 July,1 -3pm), King George V (Monday 30 July 1- 4pm) and Inverleith Park (Friday 10 August 1- 4pm).
For more information contact Anne Brown at Inverleith CLD at Broughton High School, telephone 332 6316 or email anne.brown@ea.edin.sch.uk or check out the website www.joininedinburgh.org/holidayprogramme
And the agencies who have made the Summer Programme possible? In no particular order: Edinburgh Leisure, Glenogle Swim Centre, Fet Lor Youth Centre, Scotmid Co-operative, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership, CLD Inverleith, Library2go, Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, sportscotland active schools Edinburgh & Lothian and Borders Police.
