The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Merger adds thrust to space centre plans
Intergalactic project aiming to boost funding after astronomical tie-up
The team behind ambitious plans to open a £10 million Disney-style space centre near Kinross has announced a stellar new partnership.
The intergalactic project, which hopes to attract some 60,000 visitors to the area each year, is being spearheaded by the Aero Space Scientific Educational Trust (Asset).
Backed by a crowdfunding campaign – and boasting support from, amongst others, TV star Carol Vorderman – the venture is the brainchild of former glider pilot Alisdair Stewart.
He has revealed that the project is taking another giant leap forward, thanks to a team-up with West Lothian based Cosmos Planetarium.
The firms will merge and share resources as they progress plans for the country’s first aviation, astronomy and space centre on an as yet undisclosed location at the edge of Kinross.
The move could be key to securing money from international backers.
Steven Gray and James Green, the duo behind Cosmos Planetarium, have been running space-themed programmes to schools across Scotland and the north of England for several years.
Mr Stewart, chairman of Asset, said: “We are enjoying a very positive start to 2018 and thrilled to be merging Cosmos Planetarium into Aero Space Kinross, as this both recognises the immense skill set Steven and James will bring to the astronomy element of our ambitions, but also shows real business confidence as we move into our crucial capital funding stage.
“Building awareness of Aero Space Kinross (ASK) is vital in the coming months and the dynamic outreach programme run by Cosmos Planetarium represents an even greater opportunity to tell our story throughout the UK to help realise our ambitions.”
Mr Gray added: “This is a very exciting move for us as we see this as a significant and dynamic development that melds our two businesses together and can bring great results as the ASK project grows.”
Mr Gray has spent two months building contacts in America.
“I see this experience as an additional asset to help us move forward together in attracting international funders,” he said.
In the last four years, the planetarium show has been brought to more than 10,000 people of all ages.
“With the merger announcement now in place, this indicates some major steps towards the dynamic ambition of building the first community owned space and aviation tourism destination in Scotland,” Mr Gray added.