Charlie and Craig Reid, the identical twins whose best known hit was "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", have joined the thousands protesting over the decision by the City of Edinburgh Council to demolish the Stadium, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games.

 

They said: “Meadowbank is a vitally important facilty for Edinburgh.

 

"The fact that succesive councils let it get into a state of disrepair was very regretable.

 

"We fully support the retention and upgrading of Meadowbank and all sports facilities.”

 

The brothers are well-known fans of Edinburgh football club Hibernian, and their song, "Sunshine on Leith", has become a theme song for the club, being played at every home match

 

Thousands of people have shown their opposition to the proposal to build hundreds of flats on the Meadowbank site, by signing petitions, sending objections, attending public meetings and marching to demand that Meadowbank is saved and refurbished.

 

These demonstrations of public opposition have led the Council to reconsider and look seriously at ways to refurbish the training facility.

 

Campaigners have lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament calling for an explanation of how the promise of a lasting legacy for grassroots sport from the 2014 Commonwealth Games fits with plans to scrap many of the facilities available at Meadowbank.

 

Councillors voted in March to bulldoze the existing Meadowbank stadium and velodrome and sell a third of the site to pay for a new £25 million sports centre, though a detailed scheme has been delayed by the financial crisis.

The proposals would see a new 5,000-capacity stadium, new running track and indoor sports complex built on the eastern part of the site, with the western part earmarked for hundreds of homes.

However, campaigners say the plans include no provision for all-weather football pitches, a reduction from 19 indoor sports halls to seven, no throwing area and no dedicated gymnastics hall.

Save Meadowbank spokesman Kevin Connor welcomed The Proclaimers support.

 

He said: “People all over the world, from the Cayman Islands to New Zealand, have asked the Scottish Government to provide money for sports facilities.

 

"Meadowbank is an iconic site synonymous with sport and we should be doing all we can to retain our facilities.”