Press release -

Championship bike race receives financial boost

The British Mountain Bike Enduro Championship, the headline event at this year’s TweedLove Bike Festival in Peebles, will benefit from support from EventScotland for its 2018 event.

The championship – known as the most important race in UK mountain biking – has been awarded £10,000 in round 37 of EventScotland’s National Funding Programme.

It is one of twelve events and festivals across Scotland to have benefitted from a share of £100,000 in the last round of funding from EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate which aims to enhance event delivery and ensure a diverse portfolio of events for Scotland

The Championship event taking place during the main weekend of Tweedlove Festival between June 8th and 10th will feature race stages in Glentress and Tweed Valley Forests, designed to test technique, endurance and stamina.

TweedLove Festival began nine years ago with some cycling friends organising events for friends to take part in, and has grown into one of the UK’s biggest cycling festivals, contributing an estimated £750,000 towards the local economy* and attracting thousands of visitors to the region, now recognised as a leading cycling destination in Scotland.

Event Director, Neil Dalgleish of TweedLove Festival, said: "The Tweed Valley has an incredible offer for mountain biking and cycling in general. We’re delighted to host the British Champs race – the most important Enduro race of the year - in what is now seen as the UK’s spiritual home for Enduro riding. The appeal of our assets is clear, as we regularly have twice as many riders attending our races than events elsewhere in the UK. They always get a very warm Tweed Valley welcome and have a fantastic time on and off their bikes.”

Paula Ward, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “I am delighted that the British Enduro Bike Championship has been selected as a funding recipient in Round 37 of EventScotland’s National Funding Programme.

“Hosting the British Enduro Bike Championship during Tweedlove festival, Scotland’s premier festival for mountain biking, helps affirm the region’s reputation as a world renowned destination for mountain biking, as well as providing a major boost for the local economy.

“Scotland is the perfect stage for events and our National programme plays a crucial role, not only in maintaining our vibrant and diverse portfolio, but in developing domestic tourism and generating beneficial impacts to all areas of the country.”

National Programme funding supports the strategic development of events which occur outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the aim of driving domestic tourism, delivering economic impact for local communities and generating media profile for Scotland.

Building upon existing event activities, extending marketing reach and enhancing the on-site food and drink offer are just some of the ways national programme funds are often put to use.

The full list of events receiving support from Round 37 of EventScotland’s National Programme Fund are:

Event Date Funding Local Authority Website
Bonfest 4 – 6 May £9,332 Angus Council www.bonfest.com/
Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival 4 – 6 May £6,680 Argyll and Bute Council www.obanfestival.org/
Etape Caledonia 19- 20 May £8,500 Perth and Kinross Council etapecaledonia.co.uk/
Oban Live 8 – 9 June £11,250 Argyll and Bute Council obanlive.com/
BEMBA British Enduro Mountain Bike Championships 9 – 10 June £10,000 Scottish Borders tweedlove.com/2018-event-info/british-enduro-champs
St Kilda Challenge & Festival 14 – 16 June £5,750 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar www.calmac.co.uk/stkilda/challenge
Cream O’ the Croft 15 – 17 June £5,000 Perth and Kinross Council www.creamothecroft.co.uk/
North Atlantic Fiddle Convention 11 – 15 July £10,500 Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council www.abdn.ac.uk/nafco/
Run the Blades 20 – 21 July £4,000 East Renfrewshire Council www.breakingstrain.co.uk/run-the-blades/
Dundee Summer Streets Festival 21 – 22 July £7,400 Dundee City Council www.dundee.com/event/dundee-summer-streets-festival
Eliminator Mountain Bike Festival 31 August – 2 September £5,000 Fife Council www.muckmedden.co.uk/our-events/the-eliminator/
Findhorn Bay Festival 26 September – 1 October £15,760 Moray Council findhornbayfestival.com/

For more information on Tweedlove festival, visit: http://tweedlove.com/

ENDS

  • Scottish Borders Council, December 2017

Topics

  • Tourism

Categories

  • scottish borders
  • corporate communications
  • eventscotland

Regions

  • Scotland

Notes to Editors

  • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
  • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
  • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
  • This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
  • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
  • Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
  • For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
  • Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
  • For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
  • For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com

2018 Year of Young People

  • The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
  • The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
  • Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
  • Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
  • The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
  • oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
  • oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
  • oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
  • oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
  • oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
  • oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
  • Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.

Contacts

Amelia Whittaker

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - Regional Contact for media enquiries on: South Region; Edinburgh and Lothians; Food and Drink; Scottish Thistle Awards 01750 723806