$100,000 for Roxburgh Gorge Cycle Trail

The Roxburgh Gorge trail under construction at the Lake Roxburgh Narrows. Photo supplied.

The Roxburgh Gorge Cycle Trail has received a welcome Christmas present - $100,000 worth of gravel for the new cycle and walking track. The donation was announced by the Otago Community Trust this week - the biggest in the trust's November-December round of funding.

Trail trust chairman Stephen Jeffery, of Roxburgh, said the grant was ''very much appreciated'' and had been tagged for gravel on the 34km track, which stretches between Alexandra and the Roxburgh Dam.

The northern 10km of the trail should be completed by April. The southern 10km was completed apart from gravelling. In the middle section of the trail, two properties were going through tenure review, which was a lengthy process, he said. Part of the middle section would involve jetties being constructed and a boat ride to link the southern and northern ends of the trail.

''The level of interest in the trail is very high. We get people asking all the time when it will be completed.''

It will link with the Clutha Gold trail from Roxburgh to Lawrence and the Otago Central Rail Trail and is one of 18 ''great rides'' in the New Zealand Cycle Trail. Otago Community Trust chief executive Keith Ellwood said other major grants included $60,000 for the upgrade of the Molyneux netball courts in Alexandra, $25,000 for North Otago Search and Rescue to construct and equip an incident command vehicle, $50,000 for a multi-purpose community centre for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin South Dunedin parish and $35,000 for the 2013 Dunedin Fringe Festival.

The trust gave a total of $659,650 to 60 Otago organisations in November and December.

Grants were. - Central Otago: Dunstan High School $9000, Central Otago Netball Centre $60,000, Roxburgh Gorge Trail Charitable Trust $100,000, Naseby Information and Craft Inc $300, St Bathans Area Community Association $5000, Rural Art Deco Maniototo Inc $4800.

South Otago: Special Olympics South Otago $300, Catlins Senior Citizens Club Inc $500, Catlins Promotions Inc $1200, Catlins Search and Rescue $7500, Clutha District Council - Owaka Community Centre $10,000, Clutha Rugby Football Club $10,000.

Dunedin and Mosgiel: Scout Assn - St Patricks Scout Group $500, St Leonards School $750, Wong/McDougall Film Fund $1000, Purakaunui Block Inc $1000, Rape Crisis Dunedin Inc $1000, Broad Bay Boating Club Inc $1500, Otago Natural History Trust $2000, Concord School $4000, Rhododendrons for Dunedin Trust $7500, Otago Bridge Club $10,000, iD Dunedin Fashion Inc Soc $10,000, Dunedin Santa Parade Trust $15,000, Otago Polytechnic - Heritage Buildings $25,000,Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs/Otago Careers Festival $30,000, Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust $35,000, Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin - South Dunedin Parish $50,000, St Mary's School - Mosgiel $7500, Dunedin Pride Organising Committee 2013 $500, Otago School of Piping and Drumming $800, Fono Faufautua a Samoa i Otago $1000, Otago Table Tennis Assn Inc $1000, Otago Country Music Club $1000, Carisbrook Dunedin Cricket Club $1000, Waitaki Summer Music Camp $1000, Fairfield Scout Group $1000, Dance and Physical Theatre Trust $2000, Dunedin City Council - New Year $2500, Wingatui Community Hall Society $3000, Disability Information Service $5000, Anglican Family Care $10,000, Port Chalmers Historical Soc $25,000, Taieri Bowling Club $3000 and Taieri Musical Society Inc $4000.

North Otago: Oamaru Combined Churches - Outreach $1000, Sumpter Wharf Restoration Trust $10,000, North Otago Search and Rescue Inc $25,000. Upper Clutha: Upper Clutha Presbyterian Parish $50,000, Lake Wanaka SouNZ Inc $1000, Montessori Children's House Wanaka $2000, Coastguard Wanaka Lakes Inc $10,000, Wanaka Bowling Club Inc $10,000.

Waikouaiti/Palmerston: Merton Cemetery Trust $1000, Waikouaiti Rodeo Assn $1000.

Otago: Parents Inc - Attitude Division $1000, Skeggs Foundation $25,000, Otago Chamber of Commerce $40,000, RMH South Island Trust $2000, Lifeline Christchurch $8500.