Welcome!

There are huge amounts of evidence nationally that demonstrate the positive social and economic effects of outdoor sports driven development. There are also excellent examples of how successful this can be as a means of regeneration:

• Since 2001 £2million has been invested in mountain bike trails at the 7 Stanes in Southern Scotland. The economic contribution of this is currently estimated at £6million a year. Visitor numbers have almost doubled and this growth has led to many other new businesses being established locally.

• Having established a successful activity brand Coed y Brenin, in mid Wales, is now building on it and developing wider facilities such as visitor centres and new facilities to improve and enhance the visitor experience. This investment is, of course, to attract greater visitor spending.

• Queenstown in New Zealand saved itself by devising a new rationale and brand, finding modest success as a summer destination for walking and water sports. The place really took off when first skiing and then ‘new’ sports like bungee jumping were added to the mix. It took 20 years but now Queenstown attracts over 1.2million visitors a year.

These three case studies mirror our planned development stages for the Adrenaline Gateway and the time that it’s likely to take. We have a transformational vision, but our path to its realisation will be a sensible and prudent one. Our approach is something that we know works.
What’s happening now? The first phases of new mountain bike trails are underway. Working with Lancashire County Council and supported by DEFRA’s Aggregates Levy, 8km of technical mountain bike trails are being created in Lee Quarry, Bacup. These should be open to the public this summer, and we are planning a range of exciting events to support this.