Devastated, appalled and shocked is how regular users of Elgin Community Centre feel about the building being closed for good.
Members are upset the council is contributing to a £18 million extension to Moray Leisure Centre, but not investing in the community centre.
And they feel the local authority has been unhelpful with efforts to find an alternative venue.
The council says the centre is not a viable building. It has annual running costs of around £14,000 a year.
And estimated repair work needed over the next five years would total £600,000.
Craft group members raised their frustrations at Elgin Community Council this week.
Veronica MacLennan from the hand knitters club said: “It’s devastating.
“All the places that have been suggested by the council are not suitable.
“And there’s been so little feedback to the groups.
“If the council is determined to shut the community centre, there’s lots of groups saying they should have a building that’s suitable for them to go to.
“Elgin is the biggest town in Moray and they’re doing away with it’s community centre.
“I think it’s appalling.”
£6m pledge for Moray Leisure Centre
In a confidential meeting in June, councillors agreed to close the centre in March next year.
However VIP Childcare, which operates from the building, has a lease that runs until summer 2026.
At the same meeting, members agreed a £2m grant and a £4m loan in principle for the leisure centre extension.
The council already contributes £500,000 a year to the sports facility.
The club members also claim they are being booted out to make way for groups currently using Elgin Town Hall.
A design team is being sought to refurbished the town hall as part of the Moray Growth Deal.
But Moray Council says decant options are still being considered for the town hall clubs.
And the timeline for closing the community centre is a year ahead of the planned town hall redevelopment.
Sewing group member Edith Weatherhead said: “The town hall groups are going across there and we’re being kicked out.
“And we’ve got no proper place to go. It’s a disgrace.”
She added it was “shocking” there would be no community centre for Elgin and said it had been “neglected” for years.
There are fears the groups may fold if suitable accommodation is not found.
Knitter Janet Morrison believes the support she received from the group helped her through bereavement.
And if that is lost it will have a devastating impact on people’s mental health.
Elgin Community Centre ‘neglected’
She said: “My sister and my father died within two weeks of each other.
“Without the group I really don’t know where I would’ve been.
“It’s so much more than knitting and sewing.”
Chairperson of the machine knitters group Maureen Whyte believes their current venue “ticks every box”.
She said: “We’ve been going for 30 years in the community centre.
“We’ve got seven knitting machines, irons, ironing boards and everything that goes with it.
“I’ve been to see about six or seven places that the council’s suggested, and there’s not a drawer let alone any storage for our materials.”
Proposed accommodation for the groups include the town’s two secondary schools, community halls and Elgin Town Hall.
But none have appropriate storage or lighting for knitting and sewing.
And in one venue crafters would have to fill the kettle from a toilet sink if they wanted a cup of tea.
Decision taken in private
Elgin Community Centre’s future has been at risk for some time.
It was threatened with closure about five years ago. However the council decided to keep it open with the aim of helping clubs find other accommodation.
A Moray Council spokesperson said a decision on the future of the community centre was pushed back from March 2022 to allow for further community consultation.
This included investigation into user needs and the availability of accommodation for community use.
The spokesperson said: “This feedback has shaped the option of closure along with the viability of the facility.
“The support for Moray Leisure Centre has been agreed in principle only recently and we await further details of the development of the project.
“The current timeline is for Elgin Community Centre to close in 2024 and work on Elgin Town Hall is due to begin in 2025.
“Decant options are still being considered and officers continue to work with service users from both facilities to find suitable alternative accommodation.”
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