A new £300,000 South of Scotland Cycling Infrastructure Fund has been created to support the region’s aim of becoming one of the leading cycling destinations in the world.

The fund offers capital grants of £3,000 to £25,000 to support tourism businesses, social enterprises and community groups who own visitor facing assets to invest in cycling infrastructure.

The investments will aim to improve facilities for visiting cyclists taking part in the Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast cycling route, or riding the 7Stanes trail centres.

All applicants must be located within two miles of one of the Kirkpatrick C2C’s 22 named stop over locations or directly on the Kirkpatrick C2C route, or within five miles of the 7Stanes trail centres.

Eligible infrastructure projects include bike storage, bike racks, power charging sockets for cycle tourers, bike locks, bike washes, drying equipment and repair stations amongst others.

Full details including eligibility criteria and application form are available at www.southofscotlandenterprise.com/cyclingfund.

The fund is being offered by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), and is supported by the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership.

The Partnership – made up of local and national organisations representing thousands of people across the region – has a ten year strategy in place, which aims to capitalise on the South of Scotland hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and recent UCI Bike Region Label title to create further economic, social and environmental benefits for local people.

Councillor Scott Hamilton, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for Community and Business and Development, said: “This new fund is a fantastic opportunity for local communities and businesses to develop or expand on existing cycling infrastructure which will support riders and tourism. This really is a win-win for everyone.

“We have some of the best on and off road cycling routes and trails in the country and we must continue to capitalise on that to support and grow our local economy, and continued investment in cycling infrastructure is a key part of that.”

The Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast cycling route, celebrates Scotland’s rich history of innovation and the South’s key role in the creation of the bicycle.

The on-road route offers 250 miles of uninterrupted joy for experienced cyclists from Stranraer on the west coast to Eyemouth on the east coast.

Almost 200 years ago Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith from Dumfriesshire, created the first pedal-driven bicycle, the velocipede.

This innovation changed the world forever and marked the South of Scotland’s pivotal place in the story of the modern-day bicycle.

More information is available from www.scotlandstartshere.com/kirkpatrickc2c/