Will there be a new rink at Cupar?

There has been much interest recently in the decision of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club to back the bid by Kinross to be the site for the National Curling Academy, new offices for the governing body and a curling history museum. The bid to site the complex at Ratho was unsuccessful, and it seems unlikely now that this venture will go forward, to judge by the tone of the letter written by Michael Wood, President of Gogar Park Curling Club, on October 16, which can be downloaded from here.

He says, "We are, naturally, bitterly disappointed that, despite the perseverance shown over a number of years, we now appear to have reached the end of the road. I will meet with our Committee to consider our position fully early next month but I think it fairly clear that without the public funding that the award of the National Curling Academy would have brought there is no realistic prospect of being able to continue the project. The final decision in that regard will be taken at the continuation of our currently adjourned AGM."

The provisional date for that meeting is Tuesday, December 16, at the Braid Hills Hotel.

But what about Cupar? The bid by the Fife Curling Trust for the National Academy project was not shortlisted (see here), but that group's plans to build a new facility are still very much on the table. There is to be a public presentation on Tuesday, November 11, to review progress, present plans and discuss the way ahead for the provision of a new curling facility in Cupar.

The meeting is in the main hall of Elmwood College, Cupar, at 7pm. All are invited.

You can find out more about the Cupar venture here.