The region’s first indoor climbing wall is set to open next year.
Work has started on a new sports barn at Abernethy’s activity centre at Barcaple near Ringford.
It will have courts for basketball, badminton and volleyball and be available for the local community.
But it’s the climbing wall part of the £350,000 development that is set to cause most excitement.
The outdoor centre’s deputy operations director, Dave Crudgington, said: “At the moment, it is a four-hour round trip to the nearest climbing wall which, makes it an inaccessible sport to a lot of people.
“This will be a real boon to the activity centre and also hopefully the community.
“It will be open to anyone so Scouts and Cubs can use it and we could also set up an older people’s climbing group. People may use the wall then go on to explore the Galloway crags.
The Christian charity has received funding for the project from the FCC Communities Foundation, Dumfries and Galloway LEADER, the Holywood Trust and sportsscotland.
