Closed for Ryder Cup... home for injured police

INJURED police officers are being cleared out of their convalescent home – so a TV company can use it as its Ryder Cup headquarters.

Official broadcaster Sky TV has agreed a £1million deal to rent the property for just over a week during the duration of the golf tournament at Gleneagles.

The television company will take over the whole of the Castlebrae specialist convalescent home and it is being closed to police officers in need of rehabilitative treatment.

It is understood that officers needing to use the facility will instead be offered alternative accommodation 250 miles away at another treatment centre in Harrogate, Yorkshire.

Sky TV plans to broadcast hundreds of hours of coverage from the 2014 Ryder Cup next month and i s dedicating an entire channel to the event.

A deal to take over Castlebrae – ideally situated i n nearby Auchterarder – was completed earlier this year and was yesterday formally confirmed by the charity.

A spokesman said: ‘ We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure of Castlebrae for patient admissions for one week commencing September 22.

‘During this period we are using the centre to provide accommodation for the media for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

‘This will provide a valuable source of income for the Police Treatment Centres, which will be used to fund running costs and new equipment for the benefit of serving and retired officers who attend the facility in the future. The centre will re - open to patients on September 30.’

The Police Treatment Centres is a charity supported by voluntary donations f rom serving police officers, and 4,000 serving and retired officers receive rest, recuperation and treatment following illness or injury at the centres every year.

A source close to the Castlebrae centre said: ‘It is not ideal but it is a short period and the money was far too good to turn down.

‘The figures which have been quoted are massive and for a charity like the Police Treatment Centres it is an absolute godsend. It will fund a massive amount of work.

‘Sky were desperate for a facility close to Gleneagles.’