Moray groups say final farewell to Elgin Community Centre ahead of closure
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COMMUNITY groups in Elgin have bid their final farewell to the town’s community centre which closed permanently this week.
The closure marks the end of an era for many of the centre’s longstanding clubs, including the walking football team who were one of the last groups to use the building on Tuesday.
The group have called the community centre home for the last nine years and meet every Tuesday to play the sport and enjoy a cup of tea and a chat with one another. John Downey, a member of the walking football group, expressed his sadness over the closure. He said: "The community centre will be a big miss for us. It was an ideal centre with parking and all the facilities we needed.”
Almost 50,000 people used the Elgin Sports and Community Centre for the year of 2022/2023 but due to the cost of necessary repairs Moray Council agreed to close the building last June.
All of the groups based in the building have now found new homes and the walking football group will now be based at Moray Sports Centre, however move has meant the 25 members of the group will have to pay more to attend the club.
Jim Davidson who has attended walking football since it’s very first meeting said: “The club is great, it is great for fitness and fantastic for old guys like us to be able to play football again. It’s great it will continue because it is really important for a lot of us.
“Closing the centre means we have to pay a lot more for the club, which is a shame because a lot of us are pensioners and not everyone can afford it. I’m still shocked they are shutting the place, this is a community centre and it feels like a community, it will be a massive loss for a lot of people.”
Ahead of the closure members of the group said an emotional farewell to the staff, particularly receptionist Margaret MacDonald who they have seen each Tuesday for almost a decade, and presented her with flowers.
Group member Phill Thompson added: “It is a real shame, there are all kinds of groups who used this place, ball groups, craft groups, there used to be lunches on and lots of activities for kiddies. It was a really important space for the community and it will be a real loss.”
