 Lottery campaign should leave sporting legacy
Glasgow SNP MSP Bob Doris has warmly welcomed the cross-party unity in the Scottish Parliament today for £150 million of lottery funding to be invested in a Scotland wide legacy for the Commonwealth Games. Mr Doris also urged Scots across the country to show their support.
A campaign is currently underway which also has the support of the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Labour politicians and CBI Scotland.
Mr Doris said: "The unity in the chamber today was a great advert for the Scottish Parliament and showed how we can all work together in the interests of Scotland.
"The 2014 Commonwealth Games are not only an opportunity for Glasgow to build a lasting legacy of sport but for all of Scotland.
"Olympic success in Beijing has inspired many people to get on their bikes, to go to the gym or to try out sports like sailing or canoeing for the first time.
"The 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow offer my city an even bigger boost as our young people aspire to compete in the Games and people across Scotland get into the sporting mood.
"The Scottish Government is funding 80% of the Commonwealth Games with Glasgow City Council putting forward the other 20%.
"What the Lottery could and should be doing is providing £150 million of funding, similar to the amount of funding Scotland's good causes have foregone for the London Olympics, to invest in a lasting legacy of top quality facilities in Glasgow and across Scotland to support the impact the Games will have.
"Lottery funding could help build new cycling facilities, improve pools across the country or help local amateur sports clubs improve their own facilities. It could help ensure the Games has a long term impact not just in Glasgow's East End but across the country.
"With Lottery money supporting the Manchester Commonwealth Games and the London Olympics a contribution to Scotland's Commonwealth legacy is a fair deal.
"This cross party campaign is one the whole of Scotland can get behind to see the benefits of Glasgow's Commonwealth Games spread across Scotland.
"This is a huge opportunity to build a legacy, to increase participation in sport, to get Scotland active and to improve not just our medals tally but our long term health and activity levels and I would urge people across the country to sign the petitions, to write to the UK Government and to back a sporting legacy for Scotland."
Notes:
Today's motion and amendment are as follows:
S3M-2589 Margo MacDonald: Legacy from Lottery Funding for Community Sport—That the Parliament, in view of the reduction in lottery funding for the development of community sport in Scotland, supports calls for a substantial sum of National Lottery funding to be released as soon as possible, without prejudice to the outcome of ongoing consultations on aspects of the wider remits of lottery funding, thus ensuring both support for ongoing coaching programmes and a legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that benefit the population of Glasgow and all of Scotland, and believes that such funding is capable of enhancing the Glasgow games so that, in addition to supporting a spectacular event, the investment would lay the foundations for health and sporting improvements across the entire population of Scotland.
S3M-2589.1 Mr Frank McAveety: Legacy from Lottery Funding for Community Sport—As an amendment to motion (S3M-2589) in the name of Margo MacDonald, insert at end "and also tackle poverty and deprivation, improve economic performance, protect the environment and historic heritage and support artistic endeavour, and notes the particular role of community and voluntary organisations in delivering this legacy."
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