'No one should be priced out of sport' – Summer of Sport launched in the Scottish Borders
Last updated 8th Jul 2026
Scores of children across the Scottish Borders are being encouraged to get active this summer through an expanded programme of free and low-cost activities.
More than 30 sessions have already taken place across the region during the school holidays, as part of the Scottish Government's Summer of Sport initiative - including football, hockey, swimming and athletics.
Scottish Borders Council says national funding will help ensure every young person has the opportunity to take part in sport and physical activity, regardless of their background or financial circumstances.
"Not everybody has access to sport," the former international hill runner turned local authority leader Euan Jardine told Greatest Hits Radio. "There is an issue where some people just cannot afford it and I think that's wrong. I don't think anyone should be priced out of sport.
"This is termed the Summer of Sport. This is something I advocated with the Scottish Government for over two years, continually pushing it because I know sport can change lives. I know sport can improve lives."
He added: "We're helping get more girls participating in sport, we're helping people with disability sport as well, but we're just trying to make it accessible for as many people as possible."
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The Galashiels councillor said the programme is about much more than encouraging children to exercise.
Speaking at the athletics track in Tweedbank, he said seeing young people of all abilities enjoying sport together was exactly what the programme was designed to achieve.
"Today you see them running around the track, they're dropping the baton and picking it up - and they're having great fun," he added.
"All different shapes, all different sizes, all different abilities, all different ages, coming together and having fun on the athletics track."
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The former international athlete said grassroots clubs and volunteers had played a huge role in his own sporting journey.
"For me, I always loved sport. I joined the local athletics club and it was thanks to the volunteers and my parents taking me to training that I had the opportunity to do that."
He added that sport had given him confidence, resilience and the chance to travel the world.
"It changed my life and that's why I'm such an advocate for sport, because I know it can change lives."
Jardine hopes the initiative will leave a lasting legacy beyond the summer holidays.
"This is a Summer of Sport, but this doesn't need to just be a Summer of Sport. This can be continued throughout the year. People deserve opportunity and if we can provide that opportunity, that's what we're here to do."
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