A campaign has been started to save a leisure facility in Renfrewshire that is at risk of being lost forever.
Started by a group of concerned parents from across Scotland, Save XSite Snow Scotland is hoping that a future for the country’s only indoor ski slope can be secured.
The Paisley Daily Express reported last year that the Braehead facility announced it would be closing and all bookings would be cancelled.
Liquidators were called in at the Renfrew Road site, tasked with winding up the operation.
However, efforts are now being made to prevent that from happening. Malcolm Marr is one of the parents behind the campaign.
His son is a big snowboarding fan and the closure of Snow Factor has meant that he has less opportunities to enjoy his hobby.
Malcolm explained: “As a parent, I was really disappointed to hear about the closure and that XSite haven’t found anybody to take over the business, so myself, my partner, and some other parents, we got together to build a campaign because we saw that nobody else was doing anything about it and we didn’t want the facility lost to Scotland.
“It’s early days just now, but we’re reaching out to as many people as possible to drum up a bit of support, so that we can make decision-makers take note.”
The idea is to build up an unignorable swell of voices calling for the site to be saved. Malcolm urged people to write to their councillors, MPs, and MSPs to let them know they don’t want to lose the facility.
Malcolm added: “The closure of the country’s only indoor slope would cause problems to a wide variety of people that want to enjoy the hobby, but in particular for disabled people, who might struggle to get their equipment on dry slopes. We’ve spoken to Disability UK about this and they want to help support the campaign.”
An online petition to save the facility has so far attracted more than 560 signatories. Malcolm said they’re also hoping to attract people with certain areas of expertise to their campaign.
He said: “This is a national campaign we’re trying to build, to get businesses, the public, politicians, people with experience of pulling all the right people together, to make it happen.
“We also need expert from the energy sector to get on board because we know these slopes struggle with the amount of energy they use and need to be brought into the modern era, with net zero in mind, because we want this building to still be here in the future for our generation, and the next.”
The campaign has so far garnered the support of Renfrew North and Braehead councillor, Jamie McGuire. The Labour politician said that if no buyer was found for Snow Factor, it would be a “tremendous loss” for the area.
He said: “People travel great distances to Renfrew to engage in snow sports, including competitions held in the region. This facility has allowed residents to try a sport other than the traditional ones we are accustomed to playing.
“As Snow Factor is the only indoor snow facility in Scotland, additional measures must be taken to ensure the facility’s survival.”
XSite says that discussions are underway with parties interested in taking over the slope. A spokesperson said: “Our landlords are currently liaising with interested parties and considering all options for the continuing operation of a ski slope at XSite Braehead.”
To support the campaign, follow Save XSite Snow Scotland on Facebook and sign their online petition here: https://bit.ly/3N1W3JW
Don't miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
