Landmark sport centre officially opens

A NEW £12million sports training centre for athletes and novices has been officially opened by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Inverclyde, in Largs, is the first of its kind in the UK catering for a range of sports from gymnastics to tennis, and hockey to pilates, and is available to everyone from school children to high performance athletes.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “We want to do all we can to encourage more people to lead active lives.

“The new National Sports Training Centre is designed with inclusivity in mind, providing modern facilities for both performance and community users under one roof.

“It will ensure Scotland is even better placed to support our disabled athletes in their preparations and help to ensure sport and activity is accessible to everyone.”

Sportscotland consulted with clubs, schools and governing bodies of sport, including Scottish Disa- bility Sport, when they were devising the plans for the centre.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, sportscotland said: “Inverclyde is an important addition to that sporting estate, making sport more accessible and giving everyone from the local community to our aspiring Paralympic athletes a bespoke training facility to enable them to reach their goals, at every level.

”Inverclyde is absolutely open to everyone and we look forward to welcoming back our longstanding friends and guests, and a whole new generation of centre users to experience the unique environment that we have created here in Largs.”