What an amazing day! Yesterday marked the start of something really special for Stranraer as we broke ground on our fantastic new £6.7m Water Sports Hub. And who better to lead the celebrations than our very own water sports stars of tomorrow? Members of our Kids Club and Young Instructor programme got the honour of officially starting the construction project at our spot overlooking Loch Ryan.
Our young superstars Jenna Hermans and Michael Davitt from the Kids Club, along with Young Instructor Struan Young, wielded the ceremonial spade for this landmark moment. And honestly, we couldn't think of better representatives – they embody everything this project stands for: enthusiasm, ambition, fun and the future of water sports in Stranraer!
Thank you to everyone who came along to support them, including their fellow water sports friends and families, as well as representatives our sailing and rowing clubs. Also helping us mark the occasion were representatives from our funders, key people from the council, senior members of our contractors, Clark Contracts, and our architect.
So, what's in store?
Our architects and builders are creating an amazing state-of-the-art facility that will include:
- A fantastic water sports activity centre equipped with both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ classrooms.
- Community spaces for meetings, events, and social areas for groups and gatherings.
- Training infrastructure including an instructor platform and racing lanes to that will mean we can hold professional-level training and events.
- Offshore bathing stations which will provide safe and accessible swimming areas.
- An active beach area to encourage recreational use of Loch Ryan’s shores.
- Secure boat storage space and a boat repair workshop.
This isn't just any building – it's going to be super eco-friendly too, meeting strict Passivhaus standards.
Our Chairman John Fenwick put it perfectly: "After years of planning and hard work, and generous support from our funders, it's wonderful to see construction finally beginning on our new Water Sports Hub. This facility will transform what we can offer as an Association, creating opportunities for skills development, employment and establishing Stranraer as a premier destination for water sports events and training."
What About Disruption?
Don't worry, we've got it covered! While our new hub is taking shape, SkiffieWorlds 2025 and all other water sports activities will go ahead as planned. We've worked with our contractors to keep disruption to a minimum. During construction, we'll be relocating to the boathouse, making sure all our regular activities including rowing, sailing, paddleboading keep running smoothly.
A Real Team Effort
None of this would be possible without some amazing support from our partners and funders, including:
- UK Government's Levelling Up Fund
- Dumfries and Galloway Council
- South of Scotland Enterprise
- The Holywood Trust
- sportscotland
- Cares
So the journey continues, over the next year the new building will emerge from the ground, and the compound will see some big changes
Our new Water Sports Hub is about creating something special for everyone in Stranraer, especially our young people. It's about making our town an even more exciting place to live, work and play.
We love how our young member Jenna put it: "The thing that I like to do the most at water sports is jumping off the paddle boards because it makes me feel happy."
That's what it's all about – creating more opportunities for everyone to experience those moments of pure joy on Loch Ryan!
