Well we’ve done it! We’ve just heard that Kirkhill District Amenities Association (KDAA) has been awarded the final bit of funding needed to go ahead with the renovation and extension of Kirkhill Community Centre. And it’s fitting that we have achieved it in the Community Centre’s 25th year.
We’re delighted that the Highland LEADER programme have awarded us £150,000 towards the £304,000 we need for the project. We had already secured funding from the Climate Challenge Fund, Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation and the Highland Council Ward Fund. The funding also includes £62,000 of the KDAA’s own money and a Highland Opportunity loan of £20,000.
The plans for the centre include enlarging the kitchen and vestibule, improving the changing rooms, insulating throughout, and creating a larger brighter vestibule with a Post Office counter/box office in the existing hall. The extension will include a new meeting room, store and toilets. You can find out more on the Kirkhill Centre Forward page.
The Kirkhill Centre Forward committee has done a huge amount of work to get the project to this stage and thanks should go to them all, particularly Alasdair Morrison for leading the team and Sandra Hogg for filling in all the funding applications. Alasdair said, “We’re delighted that this project can finally go ahead. It’s been a long term aspiration of this community and with a growing population is much needed.”
There’s still a lot of work to do but we hope that we will be able to start work in early July and reopen in October.
Finally we’d like to thank the whole community for their support over the years . The fundraising during Gala Week has enabled us to build up sufficient funds for this project to go ahead. However, as we’re committing all the funds we have available and taking out a loan it makes it more important than ever that this year’s Gala is a success.
Please come along to support the events and help us make sure the new community centre is fit for the next 25 years.
