A NEW community-owned ski centre will soon open its doors in southern Scotland.
The Lowther Hills Ski Club is confident it will be granted planning permission to build a clubhouse and a 600m rope tow on the slope near Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway.
The area has been popular with skiing enthusiasts since the 1920s, but two previous attempts to build a centre failed. Lowther Hill was a busy resort in the 1960s and 1980s when there was a permanent tow on the slope.
However, organisers are hopeful that the new club will be a success and attract snowsports enthusiasts from across Scotland and the north of England to the village, in Dumfries and Galloway.
Those behind the proposals hope to eventually offer visitors to the Southern Uplands the chance to do a range of different activities including mountain biking, hill-walking, golf and curling.
The hills around Wanlockhead and Leadhills often get snow from November until April, creating perfect conditions for winter sports.
The resort will also include a training area and a motor shed to house the towing machinery. The clubhouse will be a temporary structure until next year when construction on a proper venue can begin.
Lowther Hills Ski Club chairman Anjo Abelaira said: "The ski facilities will put the village on the map and it will bring people to the area.
"We will be staffed by volunteers and mainly open at weekends. We will be open for about 25 days between December and March.
"We're hoping it will be third time lucky for the centre. There is a suggestion that the first ski club in the country was here so we're proud to be carrying on the tradition. It was certainly one of the oldest ski clubs in Scotland."
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