Press Release
14th August 2012
LEADER funding boost for Shetland Skatepark Association
The Shetland Skatepark Association has been awarded £62,000 by the Shetland LEADER fund towards the constructon of a skatepark.
The funding was approved by the Shetland Local Action Group on Thursday 9 August and follows the Council reaffirming its commitment of £100,000 to the project last year.
The Association have secured a disused area of the Knab and are to seek planning permission for the site in the autumn.
Community Work Officer, June Porter, said: “This is a fantastic boost for the project and opens the door for the Association to now apply to SportScotland for what will hopefully be the final piece of the funding package. Having supported the Association through the highs and lows of trying to develop a skatepark over the last ten years, everyone is excited at the positive steps being made. On the back of the Olympic Games where we saw BMX biking feature for only the second time, we expect interest in extreme sports such as BMX’ing and skateboarding to grow locally even more. While it might be just too soon for skateboarding to feature at the Rio Olympics in four years time, by then all going well, Shetland will have its own top class venue in which to develop our own extreme sports stars.”
Commenting on the news, Association Chairman, James Stewart, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to secure such a sizable sum to help out with the costs of the park. The Association has been working hard to raise funds this year, and it is a great boost to everyone involved when that hard work pays off. We are now aiming to ramp up our fundraising efforts locally and press ahead with the project, hoping to tender it in early 2013.
"If anyone is interested in getting involved with the Association, there is a meeting at Isleburgh at 6pm on Thursday 23rd of August where we will be discussing the design of the park, or you can find us on Facebook by searching ‘Skatepark for Shetland’”.