Users of the under-threat Ferniegair community hall met Hamilton MSP Christina McKelvie as part of their campaign to save it from closure (Image: Contributed/Hamilton Advertiser) Get the latest Lanarkshire news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest Lanarkshire news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Users interested in saving a century-old community hall from closure are being invited to attend a meeting to form a group who could take over its running. Ferniegair Hall is one of the 35 facilities across South Lanarkshire from which the region's leisure and culture service is withdrawing provision by May 1 to balance its books following a £750,000 budget cut. Christina McKelvie MSP has been supporting user groups who are trying to preserve the valued community facility, and has now arranged a meeting to explore the prospect of a community asset transfer with interested parties. Download the Lanarkshire Live app today The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the
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Android It will take place at Ferniegair Hall on Carlisle Road this Monday, March 25, at 5pm – and “any interested parties” are being asked to attend to discuss potential options to save the at-risk space so that South Lanarkshire Council can be notified of any plans before the deadline at the end of the month. Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse representative Ms McKelvie said: “The only option the council have offered is to proceed with a community asset transfer (CAT) – without credible interest, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture have made it clear they will withdraw from the venue, as a result of the budget.” She says she has spoken to a number of community groups “with regard to a takeover”, and says several interested parties plus voluntary-sector representatives will be attending Monday’s meeting. The MSP added: “Given the strong support from various groups for keeping Ferniegair Hall open, I have suggested that next steps include gathering interested parties who could take forward a CAT, representing the organisations who use it and identifying members who will be willing to be part of this. “I will do what I can to help provide access to support and guidance on the process and supporting the ongoing work in applying for an asset transfer.” She previously called any potential closure of the facility “short-sighted”, adding: “The recent increase in housing in this area has ensured the hall remains an invaluable community asset, and it has undergone recent improvement works; we have new groups using the facility as well as more established ones who have used the hall for many years.” Read More Related Articles Hamilton Grammar and Carluke High pupils impress judges in pocket garden design competition Read More Related Articles Hamilton couple Jessie and Bill Mitchell celebrate diamond wedding anniversary Ferniegair hosts groups including needleworkers Hamilton Stitchers, fitness group Eat, Move Breathe; plus Hamilton Art Club, a faith group and yoga, dance and drama classes – and they have said its loss would be “a disaster”. They have praised its transport links, parking and storage space, calling the facility a “vital resource” for the groups who call it home; and who have also been planning various events to mark the building’s 100th anniversary year. Council leader Joe Fagan has said he is “hugely encouraged” after dozens of local groups across the region came forward to say they want to work with the local authority to keep halls open. This comes after the council announced it would launch a £1 million Community Fightback Fund and a Future Libraries Fund to help keep local facilities open. Councillor Fagan said: “Throughout our extensive budget consultations both the council and SLLC (South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture) were very clear that a combination of a lack of fair funding from government and hugely rising costs meant some very difficult decisions simply could not be avoided. That included SLLC’s plan to rationalise the halls it can afford to operate. “That is why, even in the midst of our own financial challenges, my administration provided funds which will ensure no facilities will now close at the end of March. They will instead stay open while we work with those local groups who come forward with plans to give them a real future as a community-run asset. “I’m hugely encouraged by the numbers who have already expressed an interest, and we will do all we can to help them develop their proposals. The aim is simple – that as many as possible of these halls will stay open for many years to come, providing spaces where our communities can come together.” Read More Related Articles 100 jobs at risk at major East Kilbride manufacturer as Valve Components announces closure Read More Related Articles Carnwath residents left without cash machine for three months due to fault The Community Fightback Fund will keep all the community halls open for at least a further month, extra funding to keep them open beyond that point will be available if a community asset transfer looks like a realistic option. A range of the impacted facilities are in areas where Renewable Energy Fund (REF) is available from contributions from wind farms and other sources, and it is anticipated that after the first month of Community Fightback Funding, interested groups will apply for an initial £20,000 REF grant. Local groups in areas where there is no access to REF money will be able to apply for additional Community Fightback Funding along with the same principles as they pursue a community asset transfer. * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on
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