Hansard

I should first pay tribute to Kenny Gibson, who has been a real advocate for the Inverclyde centre. He has helped to bring people together to consider the centre’s future. Sportscotland will work closely with North Ayrshire Council to plan the development of the new centre. As well as the new national para-sports centre, North Ayrshire is keen for its school estate to be involved. That would be a really good balance of use and would give the Inverclyde centre a new lease of life. I am certainly happy to keep the member informed as discussions begin at a more detailed level.

Looking ahead, I am sure that members will agree that we are well on our way to securing a lasting legacy for Scotland. However, today does not mark the end of legacy—legacy did not end with the closing ceremony. We have to look ahead to 2018, when the 21st Commonwealth games will take place on the Gold Coast. The eyes of the world will be upon us again, and we will want to show that we have delivered a lasting legacy. I will continue to provide drive and leadership to maximise the benefits of hosting the games, but everyone has a role to play.

Legacy is the responsibility of many parts of Government. Before the games, I wrote to my colleagues to highlight the important role that they will play in sustaining that legacy in the years ahead. Post-games structures are being established to deliver on our long-term commitments, and we are embedding legacy aspirations into existing policy structures. Achievements to date have been made possible by the partnership working of a host of organisations and committed individuals, all working with a common purpose.

National partners have been struck by the benefits of a collective approach to legacy—we achieve more by working together. We will capture the learning from that and use it for legacy and other major events, starting with the year of food and drink next year. Local authorities are an essential link in the chain in spreading the benefits of the games across Scotland. The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers legacy leads group will meet again soon, and I welcome its continued support.

There are clear opportunities to strengthen the legacy in a number of areas. On the sporting legacy, sportscotland will continue to drive forward its world-class sporting system, which has already delivered for us so spectacularly. Let us not forget that sportscotland also delivers for schools, communities and sports clubs on a daily basis. An immediate benefit exists in the form of sports equipment from the games. Items such as rugby balls and table tennis tables will be distributed to clubs, schools and local authorities across Scotland.

A long-term populationwide shift in sports participation and activity levels is not an automatic outcome from hosting a major sporting event. The physical activity implementation plan that was launched earlier this year takes a long-term approach to tackling inactivity, building on the internationally renowned Toronto charter. I look forward to working with partners to ensure that we deliver on our commitment to increase sports participation and physical activity levels, regardless of age or background, as a lasting legacy of the games.

We are in a good place, but we must keep going. I am pleased to confirm today that we are continuing with £2 million of legacy funding next year to maintain momentum and continue to capitalise on the inspiration that the games have provided.

There can be no doubt that the games have been a strong catalyst for regeneration in the east end of Glasgow and in South Lanarkshire. However, long-term success will be achieved only if communities are at the heart of regeneration and if the support that was put in place to reduce unemployment before the games is continued and strengthened afterwards.

In recognising that, the Scottish Government and its partners Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Clyde Gateway have reaffirmed a collective commitment to the regeneration of the area to ensure an enduring legacy. There are also plans in place to work with Scottish businesses to grow Scotland’s role in the global event sector at home and overseas.

Events are one of Scotland’s biggest assets, and we must capitalise on the venues and infrastructure and the business, volunteering and skills bases that have been developed. A new national events strategy will be published after the events of 2014 to capitalise on what we have learned.

Our 15,000 Clyde-siders have undoubtedly been central to the success of the games. We are working closely with Volunteer Scotland and others on a new initiative that will harness the enthusiasm of those who were successful and those who were not, matching their interests and skills to other exciting volunteering opportunities beyond the games.

Finally, young people deserve a special mention. They have been at the heart of legacy and are the key to sustaining legacy beyond the games. I, along with 19,000 others, had the pleasure of visiting the youth legacy ambassadors at Glasgow Green, at their flourishing Scotland live site, where seed balls and wishes will form part of a wider regeneration effort to bring stalled spaces back to life.

I am pleased that Young Scot will, in a matter of weeks, offer young people the platform to co-design future legacy activity beyond this year. It will build on the insights of the 150 youth legacy ambassadors and those of the other young people who are involved in a wide range of legacy programmes that focus on youth, and the year of young people in Scotland in 2018 will provide a pathway to build on the legacy from the games.

The opening ceremony marked a first by raising £5 million for UNICEF. As a charitable partner of the games, UNICEF will use those funds to realise its ambition of reaching every child in Scotland over the next four years, as well as helping children across the Commonwealth.

Part of the legacy in Scotland focuses on children’s rights. I was delighted to receive a preview, along with pupils from Blackfriars primary school in Glasgow, of the child rights launchpad, which will be provided free to schools, community and sports groups and youth clubs throughout Scotland and will, I believe, make a huge difference to children’s lives.

The legacy that has been created by the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and partners is sparking interest further afield. The Commonwealth Games Federation has already hailed it as a “blueprint” for the future, which was very complimentary. We are now engaged in learning lessons and transferring knowledge, most directly with our friends in Queensland for the Gold Coast 2018 games, and with the CGF with regard to its plans to build legacy more explicitly into the bid requirements for future games, which we would certainly welcome.

In the years to come, the 2014 Commonwealth games will be remembered not only as the biggest cultural and sporting event that Scotland has ever seen, but for their legacy, which has grown and evolved to provide other countries with a benchmark to show what can be achieved when we put people, and a nation’s wellbeing, at the heart of a major international event.

I note the amendments lodged by Patricia Ferguson and Liz Smith, which I am happy to accept in the spirit of co-operation.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the many ways in which the Scottish Government and partners have capitalised on the opportunities brought about by hosting the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; acknowledges the excellent partnership working of a whole host of organisations, local, national, public, private and third sector, as well as the many committed individuals who continue to work together to secure a legacy fit for Scotland; welcomes the determination of the Scottish Government and partners to continue to build on these strong foundations, driving forward a legacy based on the core values of the Commonwealth Games, humanity, equality and destiny; looks ahead to 2018, when the next Commonwealth Games will be hosted on the Gold Coast, and reflects on the further commitment and drive required to secure a lasting legacy that Scotland can be rightly proud of.