Back in 2001 local Morayshire mountain bikers got together with Forestry Commission Scotland to develop bike trails at Fochabers. They built a trail with volunteer effort and have been working on other projects ever since.

But now their efforts are being given a huge boost from local businesses and organisations that have stumped up a cool £100,000 to fund both all-new trails and improvements to the existing ones.

The sponsors include the National Lottery’s New Opportunities Fund “Fresh Futures”; Forestry Commission Scotland; the Baxters Foundation, a charitable trust of WA Baxter & Sons; Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey Enterprise; Moray Council; and Moray Action for Communities.

Moray Mountain Bike Club president Jim Barron said, “It was a fantastic effort by all concerned and we’re all very proud of what’s been achieved. Volunteer work will still be an essential part of delivering this project, and riders will continue to play a leading role in design and construction. However, we needed cash to really expand and to ensure our trails were robust enough to withstand the wear and tear. That’s why today’s announcement is so important. It’s fantastic news, and we would like to record a huge vote of thanks to our funding partners.”

Forestry Commission Scotland district manager Phil Whitfield added, “We’ve had strong support from local youth projects, such as Moray Youth Action, Moray Youth Start, Outfit Moray, Grampian Police and Moray Council, who all see its potential for providing local young people with healthy, worthwhile activity.”

“These trails are in the heart of Moray and will provide near-continuous links of challenging riding from Fochabers all the way to Craigellachie.”

FC Scotland and Moray MBC are keen to emphasise that the project isn’t just about advanced trails for experienced riders. “There will be trails for all levels of ability,” explains Phil Whitfield, “so that newcomers to the sport can get started on easy trails and build up to the more challenging stuff if they want to. We also plan to hold a series of ‘come and try’ events for a range of abilities, including folk who haven’t ridden a bike for years.”

For information about riding the trials or getting involved in trail building, check out the Moray Mountain Bike Club website, the Commission’s site or phone Moray Forest District on 01343 820223.