A NORTH AYRSHIRE sports club were jumping for joy after opening their brand new shelter.

North Ayrshire Athletics Club celebrated the opening of the new shelter on Friday, September 5 with invited guests including two of Team Scotland’s top Commonwealth athletes, North Ayrshire Provost Joan Sturgeon and North Ayrshire Council Leader Willie Gibson.

The club funded the shelter after receiving a grant from the council’s legacy fund which aims to build on the legacy from this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

The shelter will provide a much needed base to offer nutritional advice, training guidance and coaching outwith the running track.

The club has proven tremendously popular throughout North Ayrshire having only formed in 2009. During its first ever summer athletics camp, it attracted over 90 children a day between July 21-24 and at the recent Scottish National Championships, the club had 13 athletes competing with seven of them returning with medals.

Club chairman Blair Pettigrew said:“The Club has such a positive energy and a feel-good factor about it.

“We have the next Commonwealth Games in our sights and with 70 per cent of our athletes being female, we would like to think developments like the shelter will help us attract young men from more traditional games like football.

“We recently secured charity status and would love budding athletes or anyone interested in athletics to come along and give us a try.” Councillor Alan Hill, Commonwealth Champion and Cabinet Member for Community, Culture and Policy added: “This new addition to NAAC is a sure sign that the North Ayrshire Legacy Plan is right on track in delivering legacy outcomes.

“The legacy is about using the unique opportunity of the Commonwealth Games to deliver lasting change across the whole of Scotland and this new shelter will help North Ayrshire do just that.

“It will also provide an essential gathering point for athletes’ parents and enable them to support their children in their sporting endeavours.” Provost Sturgeon said: “North Ayrshire Council has truly embraced the spirit of the Games and taken ownership of the benefits that come from having them so close by. Our focus is on improving existing opportunities and creating new ones for involvement within sport and we hope that the new shelter demonstrates this focus in practice.”