A pair of young entrepreneurs from Lochaber have now completed the fundraising needed to turn a local church into a £1million indoor climbing centre.
Mountain training instructor Oliver Millington, 25, and his partner Naomi Hatto, 27, who is a sports massage therapist, have been working towards their dream for almost four years.
And the couple, who live in Fort William, are planning a three-day opening event at the centre – called Three Wise Monkeys Climbing – in the town’s former MacIntosh Memorial Church in early May.
Mr Millington, who is the managing director, said: “People come to this area to climb from all over the world and they usually get rained on.
“The fact that Fort William didn’t have a climbing centre was a crying shame and the fact there’s so little to do indoors made it a viable option.
“It felt really good when we hit our fundraising target. I just can’t believe we’ve actually got there.”
He explained that the idea had grown out of a chance conversation he had on his climbing instruction assessment course in 2012.
The couple and Ms Hatto’s parents, Peter and Charlotte of Roy Bridge, then went to see the old church and her parents bought the property.
They gained planning permission and listed building consent and were then faced with the daunting task of raising the cash.
Mr Millington said: “We knew it was a challenge, but it was a worthwhile one.
“We got a grant from HIE, then we won £7,500 in the ‘Dragons’ Glen’ competition, which is the Lochaber-version of the popular television show that supports new money-making ideas.
“We launched a 28-day rewards-based funding appeal in February of last year, which raised £43,301, we got a loan from Highland Opportunities Ltd and launched an equity funding campaign in November of last year to plug the gap.”
He added that the final campaign was slow to get going, but had now exceeded their target of £144,000.
The new climbing centre, which will employ 15 people, will include a 33ft roped climbing wall and a smaller bouldering wall, which is climbed without ropes. There will also be small shop, a cafe and a sports massage facility.
The opening event will kick off on May 4 with a ribbon cutting ceremony, there will be friendly bouldering competitions over the three days, and it will finish with a prize giving, hog roast and firework display on the evening of May 6.
They are also holding a friendly youth climbing competition and picnic on May 8.
