THREE MILLION pounds of adventure, fun and leisure are coming to community projects in Bute including the transformation of Rothesay’s Trinity Church into a world- leading leading centre of experiential leisure.
The state of the art development, called Adventure Lane, is being designed to captivate youngsters and oldsters and everyone in between.
With a bowling alley and a climbing wall as the centre pieces of the project, Adventure Lane will offer unique indoor spaces to meet, eat, drink and play.
The vice chair of Adventure Lane, Sophie Reid, told The Isle of Bute News the hard work and enthusiasm of the team behind the project is a “game changer” that “promises to make a real difference to the island”.
The funding award comes from Saputo, one of the world’s largest dairy products companies as part of its legacy from the takeover of Bute Island Foods.
The concept was developed three years ago by Sophie Reid of The Dressing Room and John Glen at Bute Fabrics, both island-based businesses.
“Saputo liked our one-page idea and asked us to thrash it out a bit,” Ms Reid said. “It will be a place for everyone to enjoy experiential leisure and competitive socialising.”
Competitive socialising has soared from concept into reality after the Covid pandemic when people were deliberately kept apart. It is about bringing people of all ages together again in the biggest development the leisure sector has seen in decades.
The term experiential leisure is all about creating engaging, immersive, and unforgettable moments.
“That is what we will deliver in a flexible space where people can really enjoy being there,” said Ms Reid. “We’ll never promise something we can’t deliver.”
John Glen noted: “We’ll be maintaining the features of the church. It will obviously look like a church when you walk in, but there will be so much added to the floor space to transform it. We’ll be using the big, open church space to offer a bit of escapism.”
A key factor in the project is to make Adventure Lane accessible.
“It ticks all the green categories of not needing a car to get here or drop someone off,” said Mr Glen.
“Adventure Lane is a five-minute walk from the ferry, it’s no more than 20 minutes from anywhere in Rothesay. Around 80 per cent of the population could get to it on foot.”
Ms Reid added: “It is a modular concept. We’re open to ideas about what people want. We see the whole place as great for groups, for couples, for families.”
Mr Glen confirmed there will be charges for aspects of Adventure Lane and there are early-stage plans for special pricing offers. There will also be elements of access and entertainment that will be free of charge.
“One of the great things is if you’re a family of four, you’d be spending £54 taking the ferry to the mainland.
“You’ll be able to spend that here, less in fact, and have a great day out without leaving the island,” he said.
Ms Reid said the project will also invest back in Bute.
“We’ll be offering employment, we’re talking about apprenticeships, there’ll be good, local produce to buy in a nice, safe space for socialising. The money we make will go back into Adventure Lane and the community.”
