Horses for Courses
29th April 2001
Two north horse riding clubs have cleared the final hurdle in their bid to establish a cross country horse riding course for their members.
The Caithness Riding Club and the Caithness branch of The Pony Club are behind the £30,000 course which will be constructed this summer at Northfield near Halkirk in Caithness.
When complete, the course will be open to the 136 strong membership of both clubs. Non-members and other groups such as the North Highland College in Thurso will also be able to use the facility for a fee.
Both clubs provide qualified instruction for their members, many of whom compete outside the area. The new course will help improve performances and attract more entries for locally held competitions from other parts of Scotland.
Paul Lee from the Caithness Riding Club has co-ordinated the project. He said: "The new riding course has been in the pipeline for a number of years - but identifying a suitable location and securing a full funding package was difficult. We have now overcome these hurdles and look forward to seeing the first riders tackle the jumps later this year."
"A specialist cross-country course designer has been employed to design the new course which will be constructed from various natural materials such as stone, logs and timber - it will even incorporate a water obstacle. Although it will be mainly used by the two clubs, revenue from individuals and other groups will help make it more sustainable in the longer term and less of a burden on the clubs' own funds."
Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) approved a community action grant worth £7,500 (pounds) towards the project. A National Lottery Sportscotland grant and the clubs' own resources will meet the balance of the £30,000 (pounds) costs.
Acting chief executive at CASE Carroll Buxton said: "Young people make up more than half of the overall membership of the two clubs involved in this project which made it a high priority for assistance. Improving facilities for young people in the area and enabling communities to improve opportunities for recreation is a particular priority under our strategy of strengthening local communities."
Related Businesses
Related Articles
A sand mining company in Lochaber is set to double its production and increase annual turnover by more than £2.6m. Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited (LQS) has secured up to £230,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £855,000 costs of upgrading equipment on site.
The newly appointed head of business growth for Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) in Argyll and the Islands is to focus on expanding the agency's portfolio of business clients. Liam Orr, originally from Benderloch near Oban, took up the post in early December and leads HIE’s business growth team across an area covering Argyll and Bute, Arran and the Cumbraes.
An Aviemore-based adventure tourism operator has made significant progress in sustainability over the past two years by investing in e-bikes, e-vehicles and a carbon labelling system. Wilderness Scotland has reduced its scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 16 percent through its commitment to business decarbonisation.
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year. Contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that, weather permitting, its current programme of remediation works on the viaduct that supports the railway is due to finish in the next week to 10 days, after which teams working for the company plan to demobilise from the mountainside.
Fetcha Chocolates is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment. An Argyll based chocolate manufacturer is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment.
Is your young business ready for the next step?. The Young Business Capital Grant helps young businesses and social enterprises (under 5 years old) invest in projects that stimulate growth.
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
Young businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to increase productivity, innovation and employment can apply for funding from HIE. The fourth round of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Young Business Capital Grant (YBCG) is now open to businesses that have been trading for less than five years with up to 250 full-time equivalent employees.
Ambitious young businesspeople in the Highlands and Islands have just one more chance to benefit from a tailored support programme. IMPACT30 was launched by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 2018 to help nurture and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
