A community-led group on the Isle of Skye has received a funding boost following a fundraising run as part of the Isle of Skye Half Marathon.
South Skye Community Campus, spearheaded by a group of eight volunteer trustees, was formed with the aim of building an all-weather astro pitch and state-of-the-art sporting facilities in the village of Broadford – a place currently only served by a grass pitch that is often waterlogged and unusable.
The campus group is celebrating following a funding boost of over £700 thanks to construction personnel from Balfour Beatty, working on behalf of the SSEN Transmission Skye Reinforcement Project.
Aidan, Matt, Henry and Joe decided to take on the Isle of Skye Half Marathon on Saturday 14 June to support the fundraising efforts of the South Skye Community Campus, which still need to raise £500,000 before work can commence on the new facilities.
Sam Crowe, Social Impact Manager ‘Coming from outside the area, the team were surprised when I explained the limited access to sports facilities for the local community. They started to think about ways they could help and saw the half marathon. It turned out to be a great opportunity to connect with the community, as they stepped up to support the morning race registration. It also proved an excellent way to fundraise for a meaningful local cause.’
Speaking on behalf of the hardy group of runners “We were shocked when we heard how far children have to travel just to take part in sports activities,” said Aidan Rose, Health and Safety Advisor for the Skye Reinforcement Project. “As regular gym-goers ourselves, we understand how important it is to have access to fitness facilities. It’s not easy to stay active when those resources are so far away”
“It was a great event, although we hadn’t expected it to be quite so hot and hilly! But it was all worth it when we saw the final fundraising total. We initially aimed to raise £500, but thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we exceeded our goal and raised over £700 for the South Skye Community Campus”
In addition, the project recently received over £1500 from our own fundraising efforts via a Crowdfund page which has a series of videos explaining the need for the facility.
Nicholas Kelly, trustee of South Skye Community Campus, said:
“We have successfully raised over £316,000 towards our transformational project for the south of Skye, and we are extremely grateful to Aidan, Matt, Henry and Joe for taking on the half marathon to help us increase our total.
“We are gaining momentum with our plans but still have a long way to go before we have enough funds to be able to start constructing the astro. The group is encouraging members of the community, businesses, organisations and groups to get behind us and support the fundraising for the campus that will make such an incredible difference to this part of the island.”
The creation of the brand-new sports campus will eliminate the need for local sports groups and teams, including Broadford-based Sleat and Strath AFC and Broadford Youth Club, to travel long distances to for appropriate training and game-day facilities. It will also act as a recreational hub for the remote island community. The new facility will be able to accommodate sports such as football, shinty, rugby, and hockey.
Following a community vote in April 2025, South Skye Community Campus took over Broadford Village Hall to fall under the umbrella of the organisation, with a new online booking system launched recently to allow easy booking for use of the multipurpose space. A new online booking system has recently been launched… available at: www.southskyecampus.org