logo
£1.5m Inverness community hub to be complete by end of year

£1.5m Inverness community hub to be complete by end of year

BBC News12 hours ago

A £1.5m project to regenerate a disused playing field in Inverness should be complete by the end of the year. Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Community Development Trust is behind the project which will provide a major community hub for football and athletics. A number of pitches, changing rooms, a classroom and offices are planned for the 10-acre (4ha) site at Inverness Royal Academy.The trust said it would provide a "much-needed" facility for various groups, including school pupils and Inverness Caley Thistle's women's team.
A 25-year lease from Highland Council has been secured, with five jobs to be created.Craig Masterton, the trust's community development manager, said he was delighted to have reached the funding target to progress the project.He added: "We are hoping to have the facility up and running by the end of this year, providing our community with a much-needed grassed area for activity."The SFA, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council and Sportscotland are among those providing funding.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Montemurro unveils new-look Matildas squad with big names to miss matches against Slovenia and Panama
Montemurro unveils new-look Matildas squad with big names to miss matches against Slovenia and Panama

Daily Mail​

time43 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Montemurro unveils new-look Matildas squad with big names to miss matches against Slovenia and Panama

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has given Australia's next generation of football talent the nod as he plots a path to the 2026 Asian Cup. Montemurro has cast a wide net for his first Matildas team and named 14 A-League Women players in a 33-strong squad for games against Slovenia and Panama. Matildas captain Steph Catley, forward Caitlin Foord and midfielder Katrina Gorry will not feature in the four-game window, with the trio taking leave. Turning to the ALW is no surprise, given Montemurro's intimate knowledge of the domestic league. The former Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City coach says the four-game window in Western Australia will help the Matildas rediscover their identity. Australia's national women's team have slumped to their equal-worst position, down to No.16, after disastrous Olympics and SheBelieves Cup campaigns. 'When you have this amount of time, you can start to infiltrate some good ideas and make a statement in terms of the way we want to play,' Montemurro said. 'We still want to win football matches. We still want to show you who we are as a footballing nation. 'But more importantly, to really instil some identity, and really instil some belief in this team that you know going forward.' Reigning Julie Dolan Medallist Alex Chidiac and Victory striker Emily Gielnik return to the national team after being overlooked regularly by Tony Gustavsson and Tom Sermanni. Cortnee Vine remains on leave after Montemurro flagged reaching out to the North Carolina Courage winger. Vine, who shot to stardom when she scored the winning spot-kick in the Matildas' epic quarter-final penalty shootout at the Women's World Cup, hasn't played for the national team since the Paris Olympics. But Montemurro remains confident Vine will return to the Matildas at some point this year. 'She just feels that she needs a little bit more time to come back, and we respected that,' Montemurro said. 'From my perspective, she's definitely in sight after this camp and beyond.' Brisbane Roar midfielder Tameka Yallop remains sidelined with a leg injury, while recent debutant Kahli Johnson has been ruled out with a thigh injury. In their place, Montemurro has handed Roar forward Grace Kuilamu and Western United's Adriana Taranto their first call-up. They join five uncapped players who have been selected, while 16 players have fewer than 10 senior international appearances. Vice-captain Ellie Carpenter returns from personal leave, with Mackenzie Arnold, Hayley Raso and Sharn Freier returning from injury. Midfielder Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, yet to find a new home after her time at Portuguese club Sporting CP came to an end, also returns to the Matildas for the first time since June 2022. 'She's one of these talented players that, in one-on-one situations, is something a little bit special,' Montemurro said. 'It'd be great to just see where she's at.' The Matildas face Slovenia on June 26 and 29, then Panama on July 5 and 8, in Western Australia. AUSTRALIA'S 33-PLAYER SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Mackenzie Arnold*, Chloe Lincoln**, Sally James**, Teagan Micah, Jada Whyman* Defenders: Ellie Carpenter, Charlotte Grant, Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy*, Winonah Heatley*, Alexia Apostolakis*, Jessika Nash**, Courtney Nevin, Natasha Prior, Jamilla Rankin Midfielders: Kyra Cooney-Cross*, Alex Chidiac, Emily Van Egmond, Clare Wheeler*, Chloe Berryhill**, Amy Sayer, Jacynta Galabadaarachchi**, Alana Murphy, Adriana Taranto**

Mills runs second fastest British 1500m in Paris
Mills runs second fastest British 1500m in Paris

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Mills runs second fastest British 1500m in Paris

George Mills ran the second fastest time by a Briton in the men's 1500m as he finished third at the Diamond League in beating Sir Mo Farah's long-standing British 5,000m record in Oslo last week, Mills, 26, again bettered Farah to climb to second in the all-time UK list with a time of three minutes 28.36 Josh Kerr has run the distance faster for Great Britain - in 3:27.79 at the 2024 Paris Habz won the race in front of his home crowd by clocking 3:27.49 - a meet record and French national record - while Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech set a world junior record in second in the non-Diamond League race. Great Britain's Amy Hunt took second in the women's 200m with a season best 22.45 to finish behind American Anavia Battle while former world champion Dina Asher-Smith had to settle for sixth despite a quick Hunter Bell, targeting her second Diamond League win of the season, also finished sixth in the women's 1500m as Ireland's Sarah Healy came second with a personal best 3:57.15, behind Kenya's Nelly Diamond League will move to Eugene and Monaco next before the series visits the UK for a sold-out London Athletics Meet on 19 finals will take place in Zurich on 27 and 28 August - just over a fortnight before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

The town centre that turns into a 100mph racetrack
The town centre that turns into a 100mph racetrack

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

The town centre that turns into a 100mph racetrack

For one night each year, the normally quiet main street of Dunoon is transformed into a seaside town's Argyll Street and surrounding roads are closed, and rally drivers from across the UK take their turn racing around them reaching speeds of up to Argyll Rally is currently Scotland's only motor sporting event that sees racing take part on a town centre event returns this weekend for its fifth year and this time the start list features five local teams who have been inspired to take up the sport due to the local event. On a normal day, if 37-year-old Matt Youden saw a car speeding through Dunoon, he'd be forced to take action as a local police this weekend it is his turn to told BBC Scotland News: "When you're in a rally car, strapped in with your helmet on, it's a totally different feeling to driving about in my normal 4x4 car."It certainly is a wee bit different to going for your morning rolls."Matt grew up around rally driving as his dad used to race, but it wasn't until he was stationed in Dunoon he decided to take up the hobby for action takes place over two days. As well as the Dunoon town centre stage, drivers race on routes in some of the Cowal peninsula's most scenic locations including routes in Glendaruel and said he doesn't pay much attention to the speedometer during a race, but he expects to reach speeds of up to if the adrenaline is comparable to a high-speed police chase, Matt replied: "No, because there's usually a lot of paperwork at the end of that." The town's veteran racer is David Robertson, 53, who is competing for the third and raised in Dunoon, he took up rally driving as a result of watching the event and said racing in his home town was special."I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the Argyll Rally coming to the town," David told BBC Scotland News."You know, the feeling of everybody cheering you when you come round that first corner. It's just special, it brings a tear to your eye."The rules state local drivers aren't supposed to try out the routes prior to a pre-arranged recce before the event - to make sure they aren't given an unfair David, a local courier, spends every day driving on Dunoon's roads, so he feels like he knows the roads like the back of his said this is a bonus, but driving in his van is completely different to his Ford Fiesta rally car."Every time I come up Argyll Street street, I'm analysing the road, thinking about what's the quickest line," he said."When I'm working, I'll spot a pothole and think, I'll need to watch out for that on rally night."He is piloted by his wife Jen, who gives him instructions throughout the race. As well as locals, over 100 of the country's fastest drivers head to the region for the draws hundreds of spectators but some locals aren't in favour of the event saying it is unsafe and road closures are say that strict safety protocols are implemented to ensure the safety of drivers and spectators, and the event is good for the local Moulson from Dunoon Presents told BBC Scotland News the event was worth around £500,000 to the local area through visitor spend, and it has a "tangible community feel" to it.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store