A Public Meeting will be held in Castle Douglas on Wednesday 22 June to promote the Tour of Britain and involve local people and cycling fans in the preparation and management of the event.
The Public Meeting is being organised jointly between our Council, the Tour of Britain and Castle Douglas Development Forum.
The Tour of Britain will visit Castle Douglas on the high profile first Stage of the 2016 Tour, which takes place between the 4-11 September.
One hundred and twenty cyclists will participate in the 2016 Tour, representing 20 professional cycling teams, many of which will also be taking part in the world class Tours in France, Italy and Spain. The Glasgow to Castle Douglas Stage will be covered live on ITV and syndicated race coverage will be shown in more than 115 countries worldwide.
Rob Kennison of the Tour of Britain said;
“Within the Tour we’ve always had a soft spot for Castle Douglas and very fond memories of our previous visits here in 2005 and 2006. The Tour of Britain is now a massive, global event and our nation’s biggest live sporting occasion, and we want to do our best for all involved. I hope people come out for the meeting on the 22 June and find out more about this year’s Tour.”
Councillor Colin Smyth, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Events Champion said;
“We are committed to ongoing consultation with local communities that host major events – and the Tour of Britain is a huge event for our region to welcome and host. The Tour presents many opportunities to promote cycling, sport and tourism and the Public Meeting is an attempt to engage with local people in Castle Douglas to generate ideas to showcase the town. The Tour not only attracts people to watch the event on the day, but showcasing the region across the world, which really does help boost visitor numbers and the local economy. ”
Alan Murray, Chair of the Castle Douglas Development Forum said;
“I’d like to encourage people to come along to the Public Meeting and get behind the Tour and the town.”
The meeting takes place at the Legion Social Club on Markethill, Castle Douglas at 6.30pm. Entry is free and the organisers will do a prize draw on the night for one lucky winner to win 2 VIP hospitality invitations to the Tour of Britain on Sunday 4 September.
