Sports clubs and businesses are being urged to help provide Moray with a stunning new year-round sporting facility.
Construction of the £12 million Moray Sports Centre starts today, bringing with it hope of vastly improved leisure facilities and jobs for the region.
Located in the south of Elgin, next to the Linkwood Distillery, the 12-acre site will be transformed into a community hub.
Everything you need to know about the new Moray Sports Centre
It will offer a range of sports for all abilities, education spaces, cafes, a holistic studio and a gym.
The project will take shape over a number of phases, the first of which will take around a year to complete and will provide space for gymnastics, basketball, badminton and netball.
It should also create over 100 jobs once fully operational.
If that is to happen, however, Moray Sport Foundation will need to find additional significant funding.
Earlier this year sportscotland awarded the project a vital £250,000 grant.
The MSC team continues to seek funding and sponsorship.
Angela Norrie, fundraising and sponsorship manager said: “We have the funding to start the project but to provide all the facilities that Moray needs we need the help of sports clubs and organisations to rally their members and get behind us in partnership working and charity fundraising events.”
The centre is also offering bespoke sponsorship packages to local businesses including marketing opportunities and naming rights for once the facility is open.
Ms Norrie added: “Sponsorship will not only boost what we can offer but also provide businesses with the ability to reach hundreds of people daily.”
The charity behind the project was set up in 2015 to address the lack of year-round accessible sports facilities in the region.
And Moray Sport Foundation’s Kathryn Evans said: “This is a really exciting moment for Moray Sports Centre and the people of Moray.
“Breaking ground marks yet another key step on the journey to opening a state-of-the-art sports facility and community space in Moray and has been the result of years of hard work.
“As the centre starts to take shape, more and more funding opportunities will become available to us to help make Moray Sports Centre everything the people of Moray need it to be.”
Carinne Taylor has just completed her BScH Sport and Fitness at Moray College and coaches for Active Schools.
She believes the sports centre will make a big difference in Moray.
“The new centre will increase the opportunities for people of all ages to participate in sport and will also increase the opportunities for elite athletes to train closer to home,” Carinne said.
“The improved facilities will not only create more opportunities for participation, it will help improve the quality of the sessions that are delivered.”
Anyone interested in sponsoring the centre or who wants to get involved with joint fundraising events can visit www.moraysportscentre.co.uk.
The new centre will operate alongside the Moray Leisure Centre in Elgin.
It was afforded a council rescue package earlier this month to secure its future as operators push forward with a four-year rejuvenation plan.
