May 11, 2010
Young bikers lead the way
Take some rough ground, add some kids on bikes and before long a dirt track will have taken shape. One Nairnshire group of youngsters had already taken over some local woodland but had their eyes set on a more ambitious scheme. As luck would have it, the site they wanted was on land already owned by the local community trust and with a donation of 200 tons of gravel, the youngster’s plans were coming together nicely
YOUNGSTERS in a Nairnshire village played a pivotal role in the creation of a new cycle track, a community leader said last night.
The idea for the track at Auldearn, which is made up of a series of banks and bumps, was conceived by young people in the village.
They were also involved in the planning, design and construction phases of the project.
Nairn councillor Sandy Park, who lives at Auldearn, said a group of youngsters in the village first approached the community council about two years ago, asking for a biking track.
He said: “They had one in the local woods that they built themselves, but it was quite amateurish and making a wee bit of a mess.
“I told them that if they showed the initiative and designed the track, we would see what we could do.”
Managing director of G.F. Job, Gerry Job, co-ordinated the construction, with four men working for two days free of charge, while Mackintosh Highland provided 200 tonnes of gravel for use on the track.
During the building work, about a dozen youngsters from the village also mucked in with shovels and spades.
Mr Park said: “We’re very happy to have it and I hope the youngsters will take ownership of it. It’s the first time we’ve had a facility like this in Auldearn. It was very good to see the young people using their own initiative.”
The 600ft cycle track has been created in a field surrounding the primary school. The land was purchased by Auldearn Community Trust in 2002, after the group received a £8,010 payout from the Scottish Land Fund.