Crafters 'appalled' at Elgin Community Centre closure
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Devastated, appalled and shocked is how some regular users describe their feelings about Elgin Community Centre being closed for good.
In addition, they claim the local authority has been unhelpful with their efforts to find an alternative venue.
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.
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 its community centre. It’s appalling."
Sewing group member Edith Weatherhead said it was "shocking" there would be no community centre for Elgin, adding that the building 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.
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.
The council says the centre, which has annual running costs of about £14,000/year, is not a viable building.
It estimates repair work needed over the next five years would total £600,000.
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, councillors agreed to contribute a £2 million grant, plus a £4 million 'loan in principle' towards a planned £18million extension of the Moray Leisure Centre.
The council already gives £500,000 a year to the sports facility.
A Moray Council spokesperson stated a decision on the future of the community centre was pushed back from March 2022 to allow for further community consultation.
The spokesperson added: “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."
