Balfron community enjoy new sports facility

Wednesday 14 November 2001

The Balfron Campus is a new multi-purpose community sports facility located at Balfron High School. The facility, which has a brand new four court games hall, floodlit artificial grass pitch, swimming pool and changing rooms, will open its doors to the local community this weekend.

With the support of £200,000 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund the campus will enable more people in western Stirling to participate in a wide range of sporting activities.

The new Balfron High School, which opened in August this year, was procured and funded through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The Campus project, which has been designed, built and will be managed by the worldwide facilities management company Jarvis, has provided sportscotland with its first opportunity of working in partnership with the public and private sectors to deliver sports facilities in this way.

The school has been designed with curriculum and ecological principles in mind, developed from a teaching and learning perspective. It has seven flexible multi-purpose areas adjacent to learning blocks and a central indoor atrium where school and community activities will take place. The new sports area is therefore a welcome addition to the school's facilities and the local community.

The facility opens to the public on Saturday morning with activities lasting all weekend. Hundreds of leaflets have been sent to local residents inviting them to 'come and see' sessions at the school from 10.00am to 4.00pm. People will be able to have a swim in the 25m pool, see the new basketball courts and flood lit football pitches and will be shown round the new, fully-equipped fitness suite.

Simon Hopkinson, regional director of Jarvis Workspace Facilities Management, said: "The Balfron Campus is a great asset to Balfron and the surrounding areas and we are very proud of all it offers.   We hope that everyone is able to make full use of its huge range of facilities and, in doing so, may make new friends, discover a new hobby or feel a little fitter and healthier.  However, most of all we hope that everyone has fun and enjoys spending time there."

Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland, said: "This is an exciting project and the opening marks the fruition of a successful partnership between the public and private sectors.

"sportscotland is confident that this type of school-community partnership will not only benefit the school sporting curriculum, but will widen opportunities for the local community to get more active, more often."

• The new multi-purpose community facility based at Balfron High School was procured, and is being funded, using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The project has provided sportscotland with its first opportunity of working in partnership with the public and private sectors to deliver sports facilities via PFI.