Latest news with #GerryMcGarvey
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
New winter music festival announced for Scottish city
Headline concerts from Skerryvore, Mànran and Elephant Sessions plus some special guest performers like Kinnaris Quintet will help music lovers shake off the post-Christmas haze as the year comes to an end. An all ages daytime concert featuring local artists will also be part of the festival, as well as The Big Ceilidh on the evening of December 31, that has been held at the historic Albert Halls over the last number of years. Stirling Council Leader Cllr Gerry McGarvey said: 'Winterlight will pull people out of that post-festive lull and get their dancing shoes on for some of the best live folk music the country has to offer, right here in the heart of Stirling at our amazing Albert Halls. READ MORE: 'This is the first festival of its kind taking place in Stirling at this time of year – it's fresh and exciting and means the party will continue in Stirling all the way from Christmas into the New Year. This is another fantastic addition to Scotland's festival calendar and I know it will grab the imagination of music fans from across the country and beyond as we continue to showcase our thriving live music and events scene.' Gary Innes of Mànran said: 'We're thrilled to be part of the very first Winterlight Festival! Stirling holds a special place in our hearts, and the Albert Halls has always given us incredible nights to remember. We can't wait to return and hopefully help brighten up the winter season for many!' Lynsey Eckford, VisitScotland's Regional Director, said: 'It's fantastic to see Winterlight at Albert Halls Stirling join our world-class event line up. "Live music is a great way to warm up those winter nights between Christmas and New Year and to bring visitors outside of the summer season, which is really important for tourism businesses in the area. 'Scots trad music is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Scotland. Live events and festivals celebrate our history and tradition, offering an authentic and immersive experience that connects visitors with our people and places." 'Tourism and events are among Scotland's most important industries and the second largest growth sector in Scotland's economy. Their success creates a ripple effect which powers a vibrant visitor economy.'
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Stirling leisure centre to undergo £1.8 million revamp
The work at the PEAK will double the size of the current gym, alongside the creation of two large, purpose-built studios for group fitness. Work on a £1.8million transformation of The PEAK leisure centre is to begin in August. First announced last year, the redevelopment project will double the size of the current gym, alongside the creation of two large, purpose-built studios for group fitness. Owned by Stirling Council and operated by Active Stirling, a charitable leisure trust dedicated to delivering sport and physical activity services across Stirlingshire, The PEAK opened in 2009. Active Stirling, in partnership with Stirling Council, say the plans will deliver 'a new era of health, fitness and wellbeing opportunities for the Stirling community' and 'dramatically increase opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to lead active, connected, and healthy lives'. A spokesperson said: 'This is more than an expansion – it is a full transformation. 'The PEAK will evolve into an even more vibrant hub where people can come together to exercise, socialise, and prioritise their wellbeing. 'The new spaces will offer more classes, greater flexibility, and increased access for people to get involved in fitness, no matter their age, background, or ability.' The work will mean some disruption for groups who currently use the leisure centre. Matt Bunnell, Interim Chief Executive of Active Stirling, said: 'The PEAK Redevelopment Project marks a bold and exciting new chapter for Stirling. 'We are creating a space that truly meets the needs of our growing community – a place where everyone can find opportunities to improve their health, connect with others, and feel part of something special. 'Demand for our health and fitness facilities has never been higher, and this much-needed expansion will allow us to support even more people to be active, happy, and healthy. 'We fully appreciate that there will be temporary disruption for our valued sports hall users including sports clubs, sincerely thank them all in advance for their patience while the work is being carried out and we will assist in securing alternative venue accommodation during this period wherever possible. 'Amidst challenging financial times for the public sector, The PEAK Redevelopment will facilitate an operating model that can sustain and over time augment the myriad life changing and barrier breaking sport, physical activity and inclusion work Active Stirling expertly delivers throughout Stirlingshire. 'We are incredibly proud to be delivering this transformational project with Stirling Council for the people of Stirling.' Stirling Council Leader Councillor Gerry McGarvey said: 'This significant investment at The PEAK at a financially challenging time for local government underlines our ongoing commitment to change lives through sport and physical activity. 'These fantastic new facilities will enable Active Stirling to give people of all ages more opportunities to participate in a wide range of fitness activities at The PEAK and across our communities, improving health and wellbeing outcomes. 'We're really excited by this transformation, which will give Active Stirling the agility to deliver world-class leisure services in the future and support the delivery of a refreshed strategy for Sport, Physical Activity and Healthy Living in Stirling. 'Regular updates will be provided during the works by Active Stirling and any disruption will be minimised as much as possible for users. 'We thank them in advance for their patience and understanding.' When the project was announced in 2024, it was said to include two new fitness studios and a substantial increase in the size of the gym, doubling its current capacity. It was also said that the available sports hall space for hire would eventually reduce to six badminton sized courts, which Active Stirling said was necessary to accommodate the new fitness facilities. At that time, a spokesperson said: 'A variety of clubs and organisations book spaces in the sports hall at The Peak both regularly and occasionally. 'These are primarily sports and recreational activities such as basketball, netball and gymnastics. 'Active Stirling also delivers several programmes from the sports hall including court hire for members, PEAK Bounce and Parent Fit classes. 'We have notified sports hall users of the project and are meeting with clubs to support and identify opportunities to minimise impact where possible. 'Upon completion of the project The Peak will operate a six-court sports hall and so we anticipate that many of the sports hall users will be able to return.' In February 2024, Stirling Council considered and approved specific prudential borrowing of £1.821million to deliver The Peak redevelopment project. Borrowing costs will be funded by Active Stirling and not Stirling Council.
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Councillors raise concern over potential rural Stirling asylum seeker relocation
Stirling Council will write to the Home Secretary to highlight the "specific risks" of relocating asylum seekers into rural communities - and claim such a move would be "harsh" for them. Accommodating asylum seekers in Stirling's rural areas would be 'harsh' for them and have a 'major impact' on the communities themselves say SNP councillors. Stirling Council has unanimously agreed to write to the Home Secretary to highlight 'specific risks' associated with asylum dispersal in rural or remote communities. But the council's leader, Labour's Gerry McGarvey, says the letter will be careful to reflect a 'caring and compassionate council'. At a full council meeting last Thursday, SNP councillor Gene Maxwell said: 'We have heard persistent rumours - more than rumours - that the Home Office is looking to increase the amount of asylum seeker dispersal across the UK - and in particular mention has been made of the intention to move people into rural areas of this constituency. 'That has a number of potential issues associated with it. 'We have had over the last several years, a very good reaction to Ukrainian and Afghani refugees coming to us - but they came with a package of support and money and a bit of wraparound to it that enabled that to work well. 'Straightforward asylum seekers come with almost no support. 'They are provided with room and board. 'We are talking about a situation where the Home Office would, through a contractor, take over hotels, put asylum seekers into these hotels on a room and board basis. 'They are given £8.86 a week as pocket money and that's about it. There's no other support. 'That's a specific action to try and limit the amount of support available to them. 'They don't get anything like the support package we give to the Ukrainians and the Afghans. 'That's harsh on the individuals themselves. 'Put them into a rural situation with limited transport and so on makes it even harder.' However, Cllr Maxwell said it also has a 'major impact' on the hosting communities, including on rural education services, tourism and the economy. 'We are talking about areas that are heavily dependent on tourism. 'To take out a major hotel and put a lot of people into it who are not spending into the local economy, we are talking about hotel companies who are now not looking after high spending guests, they are looking after people for whom the Home Office will be paying an absolute minimum they can to provide room and board, so the staffing goes down. 'It's got a major economic impact. 'I'm simply asking here that we ask the Council Leader to contact the Home Secretary and just make sure, before the Home Office push more and more people into our rural areas in particular, when they could be especially 50 miles away from any help or support, that we ask them to take that into account because it won't just be asylum seekers themselves having issues, it will be our rural communities that have a problem.' The motion put before full council by Cllr Maxwell stated: 'Council understands that the Home Office is seeking to develop a long-term strategy for asylum accommodation. In doing so, council expects that any model of locally-led support would require collaboration with local authorities at the earliest opportunity. 'Council instructs the Council Leader to write to the Home Secretary to convey the specific risks associated with asylum dispersal in rural or remote communities and to seek assurance that such concerns be addressed in any plans for asylum disperal in Stirling.' Seconding the motion, fellow SNP councillor Bob Buchanan added: 'These people who are coming are vulnerable adults, usually young adults, usually young male adults, and in rural areas I personally feel they would be very susceptible to be recruited into organised crime because there's not going to be the support in the rural areas that there would be in the urban areas.' Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache asked that the letter convey that 'Stirling is open to refugees - because we have a proud tradition in Stirling to welcome people'. Council Leader, Labour's Gerry McGarvey, agreed to write to the Home Office, but said: 'It will be a letter that is sensitive to Stirling Council's feelings about dispersal of refugees in our constituency areas. 'I want to reassure members that the motion just been asked here will reflect a caring and compassionate council.' Labour councillor Danny Gibson said some the language in the motion 'didn't sit comfortably with me and my colleagues' and he had been 'intrigued' to see what the SNP councillors would present to council. But he said he would resist 'dissecting' what he had heard and added: 'We need to be very clear and very careful. This is a very delicate and very careful area to deal with and we should not do so with anything but the utmost seriousness.' Cllr Maxwell replied: 'I can confirm that I have had conversations with relevant officers before coming up with this wording and I'm very well aware of the sensitivities of what's going on and that this does reflect that the Home Office and its contractors Mears have been tasked to find the spaces.'
