Kinross for National Curling Academy

The bid by Kinross to be the site for a new six sheet rink which will also provide facilities for Scotland's elite teams has been successful. The new complex will also be the new home for the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, the governing body of the sport in Scotland, and there will also be a small museum of curling history. The members of the NCA Working Group (Jeanette Johnston, Lockhart Steel, Anne Malcolm and Willie Nicoll with Colin Grahamslaw as Secretary) made the decision which was approved at a Royal Club Board meeting today.

Kinross has been chosen in preference to a site at Ratho, championed by the curlers from the Gogar Park rink which closed some years ago. See previous Curling Today posts on this subject here and here.

The full press release can be found on the Royal Club website here, but in view of its importance I have reprinted it verbatim below:

'Kinross Preferred Partner for NCA

At its meeting today the Board of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club unanimously approved the recommendation of the NCA working group that the Royal Club’s preferred partner for the national curling academy, offices and museum should be the Kinross Curling Trust.

The two bids were assessed by the working group against the NCA Criteria and the bid from the Kinross Curling Trust was viewed to be the better option for the future home of the NCA.

Jamie Montgomery the leader of the Kinross bid said, ‘The announcement that the Royal Caledonian Curling Club’s proposed new National Curling Academy is going to be located in Kinross is extremely exciting and will be a huge boost to the town. The local area has long had a strong curling tradition centered on Loch Leven and Kinross Curling Club is believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest club in the world. The prospect of a state-of-the-art curling facility in Kinross, catering for both local curlers and national elite squads, furthers our aspiration to become the genuine curling centre of Scotland.’

Colin Grahamslaw, CEO of the Royal Club said, “We are delighted to be able to announce Kinross Curling Trust as our preferred partner for this project. Kinross’s historic location makes this a perfect home for the National Curling Academy and we are please that this decision will also have the benefit of securing the future of curling in Kinross for the long term.”

The new Kinross Curling Trust will be a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. The Board will be made up of at least eight trustees, two of which will be nominated by the Royal Club and six elected by the Members, who will be local curlers. The Trust will own the new property which is to be built on the Market Park site at the heart of Kinross secured on a long lease. The property is planned to comprise a six sheet curling rink with full supporting facilities, offices, meeting rooms and a museum. The property will be easily accessible from the M90 motorway. Funding is expected to be a mix of public funding, trust funding, loans and donations from local curlers. The Royal Club will be contributing towards the costs of the offices and the RCCC Charitable Trust will assist with the funding of the museum.

Whilst many challenges remain the aim is to have the facility open prior to the 2010/2011 season.

The Board thanks the bidders for their interest and hope that, with support from sportscotland, a meeting with Gogar Park Curling Club can be arranged to discuss the future of their plan. The Board thanks staff of sportscotland for their assistance in assessing the bids.'

I took this photo this summer from the car park of the Green Hotel looking over towards the Windlestrae Hotel. I believe the preferred location of the new rink is the open area in the centre of the pic. What a prestigious location!