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The Cycling Infrastructure Fund offers capital grants of £3,000 to £25,000 to support tourism businesses, social enterprises and community groups who own visitor facing assets to invest in cycling infrastructure.

The investments will aim to improve facilities for cyclists taking part in the Kirkpatrick C2C, or riding our 7Stanes trail centres.

The fund will accept applications from Thursday 5 October to Friday 31 January 2025 or until all funds are distributed - whichever is earlier.

All projects must be completed and claimed for by the date mutually agreed on each applicant’s grant offer letter and before Friday 7 March 2025.

The funding can be used towards purchase and installation of cycling infrastructure at premises owned by the applicant.

Examples of eligible infrastructure investment include:

• Secure bike storage
• Bike racks
• External electrical sockets to be used as charging facilities available for cycle tourers
• Secure bike locks for customer use
• Bike wash
• Drying equipment for drying clothes, rucksacks, panniers, and footwear
• Clothes washing facilities for visitors
• Bike maintenance for example repair stations.

The list is not exhaustive; all grant assistance from SOSE is discretionary.

Please note: this fund covers capital investment projects only. Facilities being developed with support from this fund must be for, and to benefit, visitors.

Funding cannot be used to:

• Support projects that are already underway at the time of enquiry
• Purchase bike maintenance consumables (for example spare parts, oil, tubes)
• Revenue expenditure such as design work, planning permission application fees or ongoing maintenance and running costs of existing facilities
• Support cycle path development and associated infrastructure
• Purchase bikes, including e-Bikes.

The list is not exhaustive; all grant assistance from SOSE is discretionary.

The minimum grant is £3,000 up to a maximum of £25,000 which will cover up to 100% of total eligible project costs.

Businesses, social enterprises, and community groups who own assets which are open to the public and must be in one of the following sectors:

• Operate either:
  • Within two miles of one of the 22 recommended stopping locations outlined in the Kirkpatrick C2C, South of Scotland’s Coast to Coast’s study by Urban Foresight or are physically located on the published Kirkpatrick Explorer and Challenge routes: Portpatrick, Stranraer, Bladnoch, Glenluce, Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Langholm, Newcastleton, Hawick, Selkirk, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso, Duns, Coldstream, Ladykirk and Eyemouth; OR
  • Within a five-mile radius of one of the 7stanes biking trail centres in Glentrool, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie, Mabie, Ae, Glentress, Innerleithen and Newcastleton
• If unsure if you are in eligible area, please contact clienthub@sose.scot before applying
• Have a South of Scotland trading address
• Applicants must be trading for six months or more
• Be compliant with current Fair Work conditionality rules. For more information, please read the Fair Work Conditionality Guidance for Applicants. If you want to speak to someone about the Fair Work requirement or need more information, please email clienthub@sose.scot

• Adhere to a range of soft skills criteria (all if possible but those marked with an asterisk as a minimum):
  • Able to provide details for the nearest cycle shop, cycle hire, or specialist*
  • *Knowledge of local cycle routes
  • *Businesses must ensure website or distribution platform listing includes information on how to reach your business by bike and/or public transport.
  • *Communities must ensure their social platform page, website or distribution platform listing includes information on how to reach their cycling infrastructure by bike and/or public transport.
  • *First Aid kit available for visitors own use and details for local hospital, GP surgery, or emergency number
  • *If you provide accommodation/stop-over facilities provide out of hours food options or information for services available locally 
  • *Knowledge of, local visitor attractions and/or other Cycle Friendly businesses around your area
  • *Accommodating one-night stays
  • *Successful applicants will be required to update their listing VisitScotland and/or South of Scotland Destination Alliance to ensure their business or community asset includes information about their cycling infrastructure and what other cycling provisions they have.
  • Offer free water bottle refills
  • Takeaway lunch option
  • Incentives for anyone arriving by bike, public transport or cycling during their stay
  • Accommodating group visits from cyclists, such as cycling clubs.

Please complete the application form, including any supporting evidence and upload to the contact form at the bottom of this page.

You will receive a confirmation of your application within five working days. Your application will be assessed, and decision confirmed within six weeks.

• All SOSE grant assistance is discretionary
• Grant awards are subject to due diligence and budget availability
• Making an application to the fund does not guarantee that your application will be successful
• Once the funding is fully allocated, the fund will close
• There is no appeals process. We are unable to consider a complaint purely relating to dissatisfaction as to the outcome of a funding decision. However, if you have identified a specific process failure relating to your application, then you may wish to make a formal complaint. See our formal complaints process for more information.
• A proportion of successful applications will be subject to audit after project end, and this may include mystery shopper visits to confirm the installation of the assets in situ.