Tuesday 18 November 2008
Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell and sportscotland Chief Executive Stewart Harris were in Lockerbie today (Tuesday 18 November) to officially open the upgraded Lockerbie Ice Rink, which received sportscotland funding and to announce the sportscotland annual investment in the governing body for curling, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC).
Lockerbie Ice Rink received a sportscotland investment of £214,151 to enhance their facilities including the upgrade to the refrigeration plant and changing rooms, improving the insulation and installing energy efficient light and a lift for wheelchair users. The significant upgrade will allow Lockerbie Ice Rink to continue to develop curling and skating at all levels within the local community.
The rink is an important resource for elite curlers in the South West of Scotland and is a training venue for West of Scotland Institute of Sport curlers. It is also the home rink of current European curling gold medallist skip David Murdoch and his team mate Euan Byers, who will defend their European title in Sweden in December.
sportscotland made it a clean sweep of funding for curling by also announcing investment of £385,000 for the development of the game across the country. This investment will play an important part in enabling RCCC to grow and develop the sport at every level. A drive to increase participation at grassroots level is complemented by a strong coach development programme to ensure that curlers are given every opportunity to progress, becoming the stars of the future who will carry on Scotland’s proud curling tradition.
Visiting Lockerbie Ice Rink Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland said: “Curling is one of Scotland’s most successful sports with 35 medals on the world stage over the last 10 years but investment in the sport is essential if we are to continue that excellent track record. The sportscotland funding of £385,000 to the RCCC will allow them to build on this success and nurture the champions of the future.
“In addition we are delighted to have invested in the upgrade of Lockerbie Ice Rink with an award of £214,151 from sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme. This important community facility will help the sport to grow and develop in the local area for many years to come.”
Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell said: “This funding and the improvements to Lockerbie Ice Rink will build on the roaring success already achieved by Scottish athletes in one of our oldest sports. Meanwhile the investment in club development and coaching will help encourage more young people to participate in curling and ensure we nurture the elite athletes of the future, particularly in the lead up to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver.”
Alistair Stevenson, Chairman, Lockerbie Ice Rink added: “The upgrading of Lockerbie Ice Rink would not have been achieved without the funding received from sportscotland, Dumfries & Galloway Council, the Lockerbie Trust and other generous donors. This support is testament to the hard working staff and many volunteers who generously give their time to help with the running of the ice rink.
“The improved facility mean that ice sports can continue to be enjoyed for many years to come by the surrounding community and their continued use and enjoyment is essential to the future of the ice rink. Excellent links have been established with RCCC, the Council, Annandale and Eskdale Sports and Leisure Trust and local schools. Recent curling initiatives have seen the ice rink broaden its appeal with new users including children, wheelchair curlers and over 50s curling. The ice skating is also well supported by adults and children and there is a thriving skating club with expert tuition provided.”
Welcoming the investment Colin Grahamslaw, Chief Executive of Royal Caledonian Curling Club said: “The Royal Club is delighted to continue to receive strong levels of support from sportscotland not only for our medal winning teams but also towards the rest of the player pathway. The investment in our development and coaching structures is enabling us to develop local partnerships which are delivering tremendous development programmes within rinks across Scotland.”
- Launched in March 2004, the Building for Sport Programme (BfS) is divided into two strands: Community Facilities and Training and Competition Facilities.
- Applications for the Community Facilities Programme covers the provision or upgrading of facilities for the local community.
- The Training and Competition Facilities Programme concentrates on the provision or upgrading of centres designated as a national or regional facility by the relevant national governing body for sport.
- In 2007/08 sportscotland invested over £11.5 million in 41 sports governing bodies.
- The Scottish Institute of Sport, the high performance arm of sportscotland, receives an additional £200,000 to support the curling programme.
- The European Curling Championships take place in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 5 – 13 December 2008.
- Scotland will be represented at the European Championships by David Murdoch, Euan Byers, Peter Smith and Ewan MacDonald in the men’s competition and Kelly Wood, Lindsay Wood, local girl Lorna Vevers and Jackie Lockhart in the women’s event. Graeme Connal, who was part of Scotland’s winning squad last year will be the men’s fifth player while World Junior Champion Eve Muirhead will fulfil that role for the women.