Jim Wallace returns to home soil to launch Islands Forum for sport

Friday 22 June 2001

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice, Jim Wallace MSP, joined representatives of COSLA and Ian Robson, Chief Executive of sportscotland, at the Pickaquoy Leisure Centre on Orkney today to launch the Islands Forum. This new sporting development brings together Scotland's three unitary island authorities, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council, plus the three other Councils with islands - Argyll & Bute Council, North Ayrshire Council and The Highland Council, in collaboration with sportscotland, the national agency for sport.

"...sportscotland has a commitment to bring sport into the lives of every person in every corner of Scotland..."

Scotland's national strategy for sport, Sport 21, identified a need to provide greater encouragement to our rural and remote communities so they may become fully integrated with mainstream Scottish sport. The Islands Forum aims to be a significant player in achieving this goal.

Stressing the importance of the initiative the Minister said: "The Islands Forum provides the opportunity to work in partnership to establish and enable more frequent and effective communication between the island communities in Scotland.

"Such a partnership will also develop greater integration between sport in the island communities and the mainland and should help secure greater commitment and support for sport locally in each Island Forum area."

Chief Executive of sportscotland, Ian Robson, delivered a presentation illustrating the Forum's objectives, and the development of sport for isolated communities stressing the key principles of sustainable development, social inclusion and sports equity.

Long term, the Islands Forum will address four broad strategic aims for better sport. These will focus on strengthening communication and integration between the island communities and their authorities so that they may for example exchange expertise, collaborate on funding schemes and establish best practice. The use of communications technology is central to many of the ideas being explored.

A central aspect of this will be creating strategic alliances with national sporting organisations, including the governing bodies of sport and the Scottish Institute of Sport, ensuring there is equality of opportunity nationally and enhancing the sporting quality of life for island communities.

The partnership will also raise the status and profile of the Forum, promoting its aims and objectives to all stakeholders and investors, demonstrating the value of sport in island communities.

Ian Robson, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: "There is a need for positive discrimination for remote rural and island communities and flexibility towards their sporting needs. sportscotland has a commitment to bring sport into the lives of every person in every corner of Scotland, and this will be addressed specifically for these regions through the work of the Islands Forum.

"I look forward to even more progress by the Forum in ensuring the islands become fully and equally integrated within the national sporting mainstream."

Good progress has already been made by the initial steering group that has organised today's launch. Island sport plans are already emerging in Shetland, Western Isles and Orkney. National schools sport programmes are being engaged in four of the six Forum areas. Scottish Disability Sport Western Isles has been formed and support has been pledged for Shetland’s bid to host the 2005 International Island Games.

Responding on behalf of the Steering Group, Emma Matheson, a Sports Development Officer from the Western Isles, said: "We welcome the encouragement given by the Scottish Executive and sportscotland for the Islands Forum. All of us working together can only be a good thing. We are convinced that the Forum will make a real difference to developing islands sport, especially for the young people and those who work with them to realise their potential."

Following today's launch, work will continue in a number of areas including organising a series of planning workshops, producing the Forum's development strategy and dialogue with key stakeholders in sport and the servicing of island communities.

• Population statistics estimate that close to 110,000 people continue to live on the Scottish islands, with over 72,000 resident in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles and 16,000 across 26 islands in Argyll and Bute. Approximately 14,000 people live on Skye, while Arran and Cumbrae have a population of around 6,000.
• The establishment of the Islands forum is referenced in the Scottish Executive policy statement Rural Scotland; A New Approach.
• To date £5,349,819 has been awarded by the sportscotland Lottery Fund to Island Communities across the range of lottery programmes (including Sports Facilities, Awards for All, Talented Athlete Programme, School Sports Co-ordinators and Area Institutes).