Caithness.org News Bulletins -  October 2002

Lochinver

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NEW LEISURE AND COMMUNITY CENTRE ON THE CARDS FOR ASSYNT

The people of Assynt are a step closer to realising their ambitious plans to build a £1.1m leisure and community centre.  Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) has awarded Assynt Leisure - the community business set up to take the project forward - a grant worth £100,000 towards the cost of the facility at Lochinver.

This is in addition to funding already secured from the likes of Highland Council, BBC Children in Need and lottery funding, along with several other local and national trusts. Fundraising efforts by the community have also reached in excess of £38,000.  The community first raised plans for a leisure and community centre in 1996 which led to the establishment of Assynt Leisure.  The aim was to provide sport, leisure and recreation for the community but especially the area's young people.

The design of the new centre is largely based on the needs and wants of Assynt's young people. On the ground floor of the building there will be a three badminton court sized sports hall with changing facilities and a fitness suite.  On a mezzanine floor above will be a youth café area with kitchen and servery plus a computer and study room.  Despite the focus on the area's youngsters, the new facility is aimed at the entire community with IT access and space for recreational activities such as carpet bowls and lunch clubs.  The centre will also be the only venue in the north west with online learning support for people with learning difficulties.

With work due to start on the facility in April next year, the new leisure and community centre could be open as early as January 2004.  Also, the project is set to further benefit the Assynt community with the creation of one full-time and one part-time post.  Commenting on CASE's grant award for the project, Pippa Saunders from Assynt Leisure said: "Our new leisure and community centre will make an enormous difference to the entire community, supporting a fragile and disadvantaged area.  Hopefully it will also lead to healthier lifestyles and will encourage people to stay in the area.

"We are very grateful to CASE for their support and we should hear in December whether our application to the European Regional Development Fund has been successful."  Head of Projects at CASE, Eann Sinclair said: "The lack of leisure and community facilities in Assynt has been a problem for a number of years.  The formation of Assynt Leisure was an important step for the wider community to take, and the work its members have subsequently undertaken to arrive at this crucial point has been immense.

"We believe that the facility once it is open will make a big difference to people's lives, further strengthening the area's ability to retain its young people in particular."