Not playing fair! Campbeltown and Kintyre deserves better

[£3.73]

This is BY FAR the most sensible proposal I've seen put forward on this Forum !!!

Such a facility would undoubtedly prove immensely popular & would be of great benefit to many local organisations, the schools & wider community.

It has my 110% support & I would hope that we, as a community, can really get behind it.

Being realistic (in the current financial climate) ... money is tight & budgets are being trimmed.
However, we really owe it to ourselves to focus on ideas like this & stop squandering the little money that does come our way on fanciful ventures that (in my experience) benefit few, eventually come to nothing & leave no positive legacy.

(The suggestion to also incorporate a track is great, as this would significantly broaden potential).

[Sport]

Thanks for the messages of support towards this. Keep your thoughts and ideas coming.

Just a reminder of the meeting tomorrow night at 7pm at the Burnett Building, Campbeltown.

[fiona28]

Jogscotland will support in any way we can, if a track was being included i could see even more benefits and push going into it from our runners point of view. Still im sure we could do our beloved "training sessions" on this surface and it will take us away from the pavements for a while.

I cant make the meeting as i have classes on but hubby is going to go.

If needing any help we will be in on it.

And rewinding a bit - I thought the school thing was rejected cos they wanted to put primary ones in the same playground as secondary pupils and that the classroom sizes were very small. Unless i wasnt understanding what was going on at the meetings But that's all in the past now and no point dredging it all up again.

[Sheik Yir Erse]

Whilst on top of this fundraising to take on the project ourselves - we would need to raise between £1m - £1.7m.

John - I might be misunderstanding this, but are you saying that the cost of an AWP would be £1m-£1.7m if the community was trying to raise the cash?

[Sport]

Whilst on top of this fundraising to take on the project ourselves - we would need to raise between £1m - £1.7m.

John - I might be misunderstanding this, but are you saying that the cost of an AWP would be £1m-£1.7m if the community was trying to raise the cash?

An Outline Business Case for an All Weater Pitch was produced by Argyll & Bute Council as part of the overall strategy for Argyll and to allow the A& B Council to make a stage 2 application to Sport Scotland (which made no difference anyway as the Council doesn't have the capital). Anyway, a number of sites were looked at the costs ranged from £700,000 to £1.2 million. The latter being on the Meadows and costing more due to ground conditions.

The ideal is for the AWP to be delivered as part of a new school or revamped one but that could be years away.

[Kintyre Lad]

The pitch is used all the time in Tarbert. Then again it is free and open all the time due to the fact it was built and then start to sink. Ever so slightly and seems to be okay now.

Cannot believe Campbeltown does not have a facility similar to this.

[Campbell A]

In total agreement with this campaign. Was working in Tayvallich the last week and couldn't believe a village of that size has an AWP. Did notice though a large notice board on the gable wall displaying all the names of either sponsors or contributors so it would appear to be a Community project. Was the Atlantis Centre in Oban not also a Community Project? This will probably be the only way forward but I think this project would recieve a huge amount of support from the local people and businesses, and, although 1.2M sounds like an distant target, I'm sure with grants, awards from various bodies and a huge fundraising effort locally, this could be do-able. Has the Dunaverty Hall fund not raised a phenomenal amount of money through a wide range of events coupled with awards etc?

Still feel that we were taken for mugs when the Aqualibrium was designed, although it is a nice facility etc, it is little more than a standard pool with adjoining cafe housed within a building built to win design awards costing millions. A small portion of that expenditure could have allowed an AWP to be built alongside providing the town with a hugely popular facility benefiting kids and adults for years.

Would have attended the meeting tonight but only just read this thread(didn't see the meeting advertised anywhere else). Interested to hear how it went

[mrn]

Would have attended the meeting tonight but only just read this thread(didn't see the meeting advertised anywhere else). Interested to hear how it went

It was on the front page of the Courier on Friday there.

Surely the Council should be embarrassed into providing one? Such a facility in the town would be superb for the kids. Don't they run leagues or things on Friday nights elsewhere to keep the children off the streets?

[Sport]

Sorry you missed the meeting Campbell - we did have it on the front page of the Courier and has been the topic of much discussion on here for the last week or so. Hopefully you can attend the next one as the campaign needs as much support as it can.

Just a brief update but the meeting was very well attended. Around 35 people were in attendance ranging from local sports clubs to interested locals and parents. That was great to see and thanks.

After some initial background information - much of the information highlighted on here - and encouraging words of support from the three local councillors members of the public were asked for their views on the way forward.

The first comment came from Campbeltown Pupils who asked if Kintyre Park can be considered. This is potentially a massive move in securing an All Weather Facility for the town in terms of its location - next to the secondary school. Unfortunately Kintyre Park was not considered in the initial Outline Business Case but it was agreed that the Council will be approached and asked to provide soil tests on the condition of the ground at Kintyre Park and cost the AWP as an option. We hope this will move very quickly.

The proposed sites in the Outline Business Case (Kinloch, Meadows and the upper Playing Field) all offer issues and problems. The site at the school for example would remove all use of grass areas as it isn't large enough. Meadows is expensive and a risk (peat) and Kinloch Green is too far from the school.

The possibility of Kintyre Park being the site would solve a number of issues and providing the soil tests and costs are not prohibitive would provide a perfect solution. Large enough area, car parking, changing facilities, next to the school etc

At this point this is only a suggestion but a positive step in the right direction.

There was more discussion in general and the consensus of the group was we should NOT have to raise the money locally and this should be provided by the Council like in all other areas.

It is apparent we still have a campaign to win and would ecnourage as much support on this issue as possible. We need to show the Council, the Scottish Executive, Sports Scotland etc what we don't have and use comparisons.

On that note is anyone any good a video editing? Looking to merge some videso together to show the facilities we have in Campbeltown and in comparison to elsewhere. Can anyone help?

[Campbell A]

Good to hear the meeting was well attended, would you believe I haven't seen last weeks courier Good start with the offer of Kintyre Park from Campbeltown Pupils.

Can't help thinking that the Council will never agree to the funding of the entire project especially in the current climate, is there a precedent whereby the council have agreed to fund a project where a certain %age is raised by the community?

[Sport]

Good to hear the meeting was well attended, would you believe I haven't seen last weeks courier

Can't believe you don't read this forum more than once a week.

Can't help thinking that the Council will never agree to the funding of the entire project especially in the current climate, is there a precedent whereby the council have agreed to fund a project where a certain %age is raised by the community?

I believe this has been the scenario with some of the smaller projects. However, not for any of the 11 a-side pitches in Lochgilphead, Dunoon, Oban, Helensburgh and Rothesay. Don't see why we should be any different.

If there was extra funding made available it would be a good idea to have this used for additional facilities to suit more sports - athletics for example.

It's up to us, as a community, to make the Council have no alternative. We have to highlight the situation to as many bodies as possible, get media coverage etc

Any ideas are welcome.

[Sport]

Here is an example of a quick video clip I took tonight showing Kinloch Green. Campbeltown Boys AFC are out in the middle of this training!!

Going to get better ones of the Pupils (train in the dark on the Meadows), Boys and youth football next week and hopefully someone can help with putting the videos together. WC1 are there any kids who can help? I know they are whizzes at these things!

[Sport]

The Kintyre Forum has very kindly agreed to the setting up of a private area for anyone who is interested in taking this campaign forward now.

If you are interested in joining us please send a PM. Even if you can just share some views or knowledge please join us.

[Sport]

Looks like we have lost some posts from yesterday? Which were rather helpful.

One about the radio show?

[Mags B]

Looks like all of Saturday's posts have disappeared from the forum.

The radio show was Sports Weekly at 9.05 with John Beattie. You can listen again by going on to the BBC Radio Scotland website - available for one week.