Shetland Recreational
Trust invest in sport
facilities for the Island
Investing in the health of the population
by providing the infrastructure to enjoy a
healthy island lifestyle is one of the main
objectives of the Shetland Recreational
Trust (SRT).
So, when the local council approved plans for the
construction of a new high school across the road
from the existing leisure complex, plans for phase
four of Clickimin Leisure Developments were
initiated.
Shetland’s maritime climate—the island is
infamous for wet weather and wild, stormy
winters, due to its geographical location—resulted
in outside pitches being out of action throughout
the winter. Even in the summer months, external
pitches didn’t provide the ideal training ground for
the teams.
What they were missing was an indoor football
and rugby facility, one that would allow teams
to train in textbook conditions, all year round,
whatever the weather; thus massively improving
the teams’ sporting opportunities and standards.
The proximity between Clickimin Leisure Centre
and the new School was intentional, with a view
to sharing resources so that all sports lessons and
matches could take place at the leisure complex—
removing the need to build dedicated sport
facilities for the school. Funding awarded from both the local council
and SportScotland, it was time to start planning
the new indoor training facility to complement
existing facilities, which comprised a range of
external pitches, squash courts, badminton courts,
gyms and swimming pools.
Although the school had previously utilised
Clickimin for some PE lessons, there were
concerns that transferring all sporting activities
to the centre would put enormous pressure on
its ability to timetable both school and public
activities. The requirements for the new facility were
straightforward: they needed a robust, cost
effective, low-maintenance facility which could be
built relatively quickly and, crucially, would stand
the test of time against the testing island weather
conditions.
collinson.co.uk