capacities and skills, and work to build up their autonomy and resilience". The question that presents itself is whether this approach can be adopted by communities seeking to promote physically active lifestyles (through mountain biking) and thus, using their ‘community assets,’ see real improvements in health and well-being throughout the Highlands. 6.6 Potential Funding Streams A number of mountain bike developments over the past decade or so have been financed through European funding programmes in conjunction with public and private sector partners (for example the 7Stanes through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Objective 2 and Transitional Programmes, while the new development at Glenlivet has also been co-financed through ERDF). Other European funds that may have been used for varied aspects of mountain biking development have been the Interreg and Leader programmes. The current round of European funding programmes only runs until 2013 however. As a result, the Leader programme is not taking any more applications however and the various Interreg funding sources are also nearing their termination. European funding in the Highlands for infrastructure-type projects is accessed through the European Regional Development Fund, managed by the Highlands and Islands Structural Funds Partnership Ltd (HIPP). HIPP informed the team that there are no funds available for the current ERDF programme which also terminates in 2013. The European Social Fund (ESF) can be accessed for projects that improve the skills of the workforce; it is also managed through HIPP. As an example, the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust recently secured £400,000 to train people over the next three years on its Access Skills Training project, looking at skills related to, among others, upland and lowland path work, and interpretation/promotion. Again, however, the programme ends next year. The European Commission has recently adopted the draft legislation that will frame the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, which replaces the current programmes. It is too early to determine exactly how ERDF and ESF will be managed in the Highlands, but, according to HIPP, it appears that it is likely to be targeted less at smaller,
As has been stated throughout the report, are many aspects of mountain biking in the Highland region and beyond which may necessitate further research in order to adequately assess their potential. 8.1 Grassroots Activity While the existing study has produced data on the activities of mountain bikers in local, ‘secret’ locations, there is insufficient understanding of how these crucial melting pots for interest and skills development actually work. The informal, often clandestine, nature of the trail builder’s activities means that such places can be hard to find, and the participants elusive. These developments are largely unauthorised by landowners and can result with constructed play parks, jumps and trails destroyed or access to the trails being obstructed. It can very hard to establish whether the trails are developed in appropriate locations due to a lack of communication between mountain bikers and landowners and vice-versa. Yet such grassroots activity is arguably the lifeblood of the sport, particularly in terms of newcomers and later for high level performance. Some grassroots activity has been formalised as pump tracks and jump parks, and these have a valuable role to play in the development of mountain biking practice in the region. Yet little is known about how such places and activities translate into committed mountain bike activity later in life. Positive evidence of this would help to see funds attracted for such developments as part of sporting, health and wellbeing and tourism excellence initiatives. 8.2 Landowner/Trailbuilder Liability/Trail Maintenance Allied to the issue of unofficial trail building, alluded to above, and indeed to the issues of signposting and trail maintenance, is the unresolved one of landowner liability. Further research is required into the legal status of landowners and trail builders. Indeed, it may be that there is a requirement for lobbying from key stakeholder groups in pursuit of a clear statement on policy regarding protection for those who allow their land to be used for leisure purposes which have a significant contribution to make to an area’s sustainability, and yet may be confronted with claims for compensation as a result of these activities. Allied to this point, the burden of trail maintenance often falls to those who do not directly benefit financially from the activities. Thus, detailed research into the