THE most common sights in Scotland's back gardens in the 21st century, are, in no particular order, roses, daffodils, starlings, sparrows and trampolines.

The first four have been with us for many generations, but the last-named has spread its roots only fairly recently. It is a rare housing estate nowadays that does not boast a large, blue specimen of the genus bouncimus maximus.

The outdoor adventure and leisure company Go Ape has now taken cognisance of its popularity, and plans to cash in by creating an indoor trampoline park at its Playsport complex in East Kilbride.

The £2m Air Space venture, the first of its type in Scotland and the largest freestyle jumping facility in Europe, will create about 60 jobs. It will have around 100 trampolines in an area equivalent to about six basketball courts.

Indoor trampoline areas have, says Air Space operations manager Pete Brown, taken the US and Australia by storm. We have no doubt that Scots, too, will soon be honing their baby fliffs, barrel rolls and crash drives. And many a worker will have a new spring in his step.