A long-awaited Aberdeenshire sports centre is approaching the finishing line.
New pictures reveal the progress that has been made on the £7.7 million Banchory Sports Village, with the facility well on track to be completed by next summer.
Crews have been on the site since February when the sod was first cut with the roof now nearing completion.
Work has also progressed on the inside of the building, with concrete flooring laid and stairs installed.
The facility, which is being built to the north of Hill of Banchory Primary School, has been funded in part by the community which raised £700,000.
James Knowles has been the chairman of the trust, which handed over the funds last year.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see how it’s progressing and I’m looking forward to the opening next summer.
“It was a challenge for everyone to get to this point as the council committed to fund it but we had to find a fair bit of money from the community as well which took a wee bit of time.
“But I was always of the opinion that if we raised the money then this building would be a tremendous asset to the community.”
The sports complex was approved by Aberdeenshire Council last summer after decades of the town battling to bring a new complex to the area.
The plans include a six-lane swimming pool, a training pool, a three-court sports hall, fitness suite, squash courts, changing facilities, cafe and reception.
Building work was scheduled to start last October, but due to contractual wrangles it was delayed by a month.
Banchory residents have been calling for upgraded sporting amenities for many years, with the current swimming pool at the town’s academy only 20m (65ft) in length.
Previous plans to expand sporting facilities in the town failed to get off the ground. The new centre will be run and managed by the local authority.
