Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
PRESS RELEASE
02 October 2001
For Use: Immediately
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar PRESS RELEASE 02 October 2001 For Use: Immediately | |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is playing a key role in developing sport in island communities, the Arts and Leisure Committee heard today.
Scotland's national strategy for sport, Sport 21, identified a need to provide greater encouragement and support for Scotland's rural and island communities. One of the responses was the setting up of the Islands Forum, a multi-authority national agency partnership. The Forum has four broad strategic aims: strengthening communication between island communities, developing greater integration with mainland sport, raising the profile and status of sport in the islands and ensuring the islands can deliver national programmes locally, and developing new strategic alliances for sport.
Chairman of Arts and Leisure, Cllr. Alasdair Macrae, said:
"Sport is an essential part of a healthy community and the Comhairle has
been developing facilities and increasing the emphasis on sport in the islands
over the past few years. We are continuing that process with the the new Nicolson
Lewis Sports Centre and the Forum Strategy will allow us to move forward in
developing the framework of sport within the islands.
I agree with my colleague Cllr. Murdo Macleod that our schools do extremely
well in sports competitions given the extra challenges of our island location
and I would congratulate pupils and teachers for the work that they do in raising
the profile of island sport".
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is involved in drawing up the Islands Strategy Forum which is moving into a stage of detailed planning. Workshops are being proposed for November.
The Strategy will detail how the Islands Forum intended to deliver its four
strategic aims. .
Ends
Issued by Nigel Scott
Communications Officer