Get Active Scotland Fund launched to boost physical activity across the Highlands and Glasgow

‘Get Active Scotland’ is a two-year funding partnership between national and local partners – including the London Marathon Foundation, sportscotland, High Life Highland, and Glasgow Life. The Fund will be one of Scotland’s largest programmes focused on increasing participation in physical activity, particularly for the least-active children and young people, and communities living in areas affected by deprivation and rural isolation.

The launch of the new Fund comes at a time when healthy life expectancy in Scotland – the number of years people can expect to live in good health without serious illness or disability – has fallen to its lowest level in nearly a decade (Public Health Scotland, 2025), making new investment in physical wellbeing and activity more important than ever. 

Get Active Scotland will fund groups in two regions: the Highlands, managed by High Life Highland, and Glasgow, managed by Glasgow Life. To mark today’s launch in the Highlands, Inverness track star and Olympian Megan Keith was joined by pupils from Kinmylies Primary School, leading the children’s Daily Mile activity in the recently refurbished Bught Park. 

Steve Walsh, Chief Executive of High Life Highland, said: “We are absolutely delighted to host the launch of Get Active Scotland here in the Highlands, and particularly so within the recently opened Bught Park Pavilion and refurbished Grandstand – and during our Wellness Month too! Being able to support community sports clubs right across the region through this new partnership with the London Marathon Foundation and sportscotland is most welcome indeed. 

“From our youngest to our oldest residents, High Life Highland aims to Make Life Better for everyone. With this, we want everyone in Highland to have the opportunity to be active. The Get Active Scotland Fund will significantly support our work with community clubs that in turn will enhance their capacity and enable them to provide safe, welcoming and inclusive opportunities for more people to be active within their local communities.”

Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “Club and community sport are at the heart of our vision for an active Scotland where everyone benefits from sport, so we are delighted to engage in this new partnership with the London Marathon Foundation and High Life Highland, which aims to support clubs, hubs and community groups to improve access to and inclusion in sport and physical activity. 

“Through this new partnership we have a real opportunity to build on the great work being done in clubs and communities in Highland and to address some of the barriers to participation that are particularly felt in rural areas. That’s why sportscotland is delighted to support this project with £500,000 of National Lottery investment and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have.”

We've awarded £500,000 towards the two-year Fund – our first grant made to solely support communities in Scotland. We're the parent charity of London Marathon Events (LME), and our funding in Scotland has been made possible through LME’s acquisition of Caledonian Concepts Ltd, one of Scotland’s leading providers of mass participation sporting events, including the Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running – taking place on Sunday 28 September 2025.

Mike Diaper, Group Funding & Impact Director of the London Marathon Foundation, said: “We’re excited to announce our first-ever grant funding for Scotland – a significant milestone for us – ahead of this weekend’s Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running.

“Our vision is to inspire activity for all, and through Get Active Scotland, we’ll support community-based initiatives for children, young people, and those who need the most help to be active – making physical activity more accessible, inclusive, and part of daily life for everyone, no matter where they live.”

Malcolm Sutherland, CEO of Caledonian Concepts, said: "We're very proud that as part of London Marathon Events, Caledonian Concepts and the Loch Ness Marathon can play a role in the launch of Get Active Scotland today.

The Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running provide an incredible platform to inspire thousands of people every year across the Highlands and Scotland to get active. We believe this new Fund has the potential to make a real difference in local communities and will leave a lasting legacy, beyond the events, for children, young people and communities across the Highlands to enjoy the lifelong benefits of physical activity and sport.”

In Glasgow, the Get Active Scotland fund will open in October and be managed by Glasgow Life. It will focus on increasing access to sport and physical activity in communities experiencing high levels of deprivation – helping to tackle inequality and improve wellbeing in Scotland’s largest city.

Alan Milner, Head of Sport at Glasgow Life, said: “The launch of the new Get Active Scotland Fund is fantastic news for Glasgow and for Scotland. At Glasgow Life, our mission is to improve mental and physical wellbeing through culture and sport. This new fund will enable more people across Glasgow to enjoy the benefits of being active – whether through sport, movement or play. 

“The funding will support clubs, hubs and community groups throughout the city, helping residents to get active and stay active. Grants will be awarded to projects that create or expand opportunities for underserved communities, including children and young people, women and girls, people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQI+ communities, individuals with disabilities, older adults, and those experiencing financial hardship. Crucially, this investment will empower people to make physical activity and sport a cornerstone of their daily lives – supporting the Active Glasgow: A Physical Activity and Sport Strategy for Glasgow 2025–2035 vision.”