Strathglass receive Get Active Scotland funding

A total of 31 Highland-based sports clubs, including Strathglass Shinty Club, are the first to be awarded funds from the Get Active Scotland initiative, which was launched by Olympic athlete Megan Keith in Inverness in September last year.

Get Active Scotland is a two-year funding partnership between national and local partners – including the London Marathon Foundation, sportscotland, High Life Highland and Glasgow Life. The Fund is one of Scotland’s largest programmes focused on increasing participation in physical activity, particularly for the least-active children and young people, and communities living in areas affected by deprivation and rural isolation.

The variety of sports being supported in this first round of funding – which is administered by High Life Highland – is vast and includes basketball, ice hockey, shinty, football, gymnastics, athletics, golf, tennis, bowling, rugby and surfing.

Darren Reid, Head of Sport and Physical Activity at High Life Highland said: “We were overwhelmed with applications for the first round of Get Active Scotland funding, with some excellent applications all with the aim of helping people to be more active more often. While some clubs will be disappointed that they were unsuccessful this time, we are speaking with representatives to encourage them to try again when applications open again next month. We are very grateful to the London Marathon Foundation for the financial investment in Highland – it is already making a difference to local clubs and organisations and in turn will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of people living here.”

Maria Reynard, Strathglass U14 Shinty Coach commented“This funding will enable us to continue to encourage all children regardless of age, stage or ability to access shinty in Strathglass. Shinty is more than a sport to us, it’s a lifestyle, a community and a brilliant opportunity for children (particularly from remote communities like ours) to take part in sport, make friends, feel included, be part of history and most importantly not live in isolation. This money will be fundamental in ensuring we can continue to ensure ALL our children can have access to high quality shinty training, equipment and thrive in an inclusive environment.