In 2002, the
7stanes project began to extend the success of Glentress Forest across the whole of southern Scotland. The centres run from Glentrool
near Newton Stewart in the west through to Peebles in the east.
The
project is managed by Forestry Commission Scotland in partnership
with:
- Scottish Enterprise
Dumfries and Galloway
- Dumfries
and Galloway Tourist Board
- Scottish Enterprise
Borders
- Scottish Borders Tourist
Board
- Scottish Borders Council
- Dumfries & Galloway
Council
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- Solway Heritage
- Heritage Lottery Fund.
All
the partners joined forces to raise £1 million towards the initiative however
match-funding from European structural funding brought the £2m project to life.
The £2million funding was spent over the project's lifetime
which ran from 2002 to 2004. The Forestry Commission, through Forest
Enterprise, managed the project with its partners and committed £329,000 to the
project as well as its land and expertise in developing mountain biking trails.
Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway funded the project with £250,000 and
the other partners a further total of £445,000. These monies were matched by a
European Contribution of £916,000 which was announced, alongside other EU
funded projects, by Peter Peacock, Deputy Minister for Finance and Public
Services, at a press conference in Mabie
Forest near Dumfries.
Recently, Bob McIntosh, Chief Executive of Forest
Enterprise said the funding will help make the South of Scotland a first class
destination for mountain bikers:
"As Britain's largest provider of outdoor recreation, we have been working
in partnership with a vast range of organisations and mountain bike clubs to
help promote this very popular sport. Not only are we providing fantastic
trails for cyclists, we are helping bring in visitors and money to rural areas.
This is vitally important to the South of Scotland which was badly affected by
the foot and mouth outbreak."
