Inch Park Goes the Extra Mile
Inch Park Community Sports Club (IPCSC) celebrates the opening of its new clubhouse after a 15 year campaign led by Lismore Rugby Club to bring sport firmly into community hands in Inch Park, South Edinburgh. The clubhouse will be officially unveiled by Kenny McAskill MSP. The opening will coincide with a sports festival on the park for 170 school children from the schools in Edinburgh South.
Malcolm Gillies, Chairman of IPCSC said: “It has been a very long and somewhat tortuous journey to get this project to its opening today, and see what was once a park in terminal decline restored as a dynamic centre for sport, for the community and for the clubs.
“It is a credit to all those involved, on all sides, that we were eventually permitted to break the mould and then all work together, to deliver this facility today, based around existing clubs but available and accessible to all in the community.
“However the facility is not the end, it is just the beginning of a lot of hard work to deliver and enthuse all into exercise and sport. You have been warned - ballroom dancing anyone?”
Lismore RFC in partnership with Edinburgh South FC and Edinburgh South Cricket Club under their new charitable organisation structure as IPCSC, has looked forward to this day when they will bring together many community supporters and sports members to enjoy what is now one of the best sporting facilities in Edinburgh.
The three community based clubs all work with the local primary and secondary schools delivering curricular and extra-curricular activities for them. Having the new facility will enable this work to grow further and become a thriving community development base for football, cricket and rugby, in addition to other sports and community activities being able to, and encouraged to, use the facilities. The facility is already home to a mountain biking club, dance-based exercise, tae-kwan-do and most recently ballroom dancing.
Over the last 12 months. IPCSC has provided sporting opportunities to hundreds of adults, young people and children. IPCSC has also recently been awarded community sport hub status by sportscotland and City of Edinburgh Council, the first club based hub in Scotland. This will enable the acceleration of delivery of opportunities in sport and exercise into the community of South Edinburgh, a population of some 80,000 people.
IPCSC is now entering into the final stage of the project which includes the building of an international standard rugby pitch as well as extra cricket and football facilities throughout the park. The club has been successful in obtaining funding from CashBack for Communities, via Scottish Rugby.
sportscotland which has granted £450k has worked with IPCSC for some years and is delighted to see this project on the ground Stewart Harris, Chief Executive said: “I am delighted that sportscotland has been able to help deliver a 15 year dream – the development of a community sport hub facility here in south Edinburgh.
“It is an example of what can be achieved when enough people are determined to deliver something truly beneficial for their community and it is the fact that it was conceived and created by local people that will ensure its lasting success.
“Those involved have fought not just for their own sports but for sport as a whole. They recognise that getting people more active through sport is such an important objective for our nation’s health and wellbeing and the fruits of their efforts will be borne in better and healthier lives in south Edinburgh.”
On news of the opening of the pavilion Head of Community Development Steve Paige said “It’s great news that Edinburgh South Cricket Club will benefit from the opening of this new facility and will be able to plan with a secure strategy in the future. It’s fantastic for the community and great that these clubs have come together to produce a fantastic sporting hub that will be around for many years to come”.
