After school club in Muirtown, Inverness gets stay of execution from Highland Council
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People power seems to have saved an Inverness after-school club – for now.
Parents and carers started campaigning to save Muirtown After School Klub (MASK) after learning it was facing demolition.
The large two-room hut, which has been in use for some 20 years, stands in the grounds of Muirtown Primary, but Highland Council, which owns the building, decided it was to go.
But overwhelming community support, plus the intervention of local Highland councillors, has won it a stay of execution.
MASK mounted an online petition this week and quickly amassed more than 250 supporters, and yesterday announced that the club was saved.
MASK, a charity registered with the Care Inspectorate, provides “wrap around care in a safe, friendly and fun space, with exceptional care and hot food” for more than 20 children.
It feared that the proposed alternative space for the club, within the school building, would potentially be shared causing reduced capacity and increased overheads.
There was also no confirmation that its breakfast club would be able to continue and there would be no holiday club provision in the summer breaks.
A committee spokesman said: “There was a real possibility that it would not be financially viable to continue MASK in this manner long term.”
Inverness West councillors Bill Boyd and Alex Graham intervened.
Cllr Boyd said the issue had never come to any council committees for discussion.
“This club provides an excellent community service and is very well thought of in Muirtown,” he said. “It provides a service that is absolutely necessary for working parents, especially now with the Covid.
“There is a construction project at the school and the council decided the hut was to be swept aside for no other reason than because it was a shed.
“MASK had been told to get out and that obviously upset the volunteers and parents. Alex and myself have negotiated that it will be here for at least the next school year.”
Cllr Graham said part of Muirtown Primary is being refurbished to provide an early learning centre.
He said: “The original council proposal was that MASK moves into space in the refurbished part of the school, but the problem was capacity for the club and this threatened their viability.
“We met them on Wednesday and it was agreed that over the next year they work towards a ‘community asset transfer’ which will give them a huge opportunity to have their own building. I am sure they will manage to do that in the next year.
“The building is in fairly good condition.”
The MASK committee will now draw up plans to take over their beloved building, including forming a business case and investigating other sources of income.
A spokesman said: “Thank you to everyone who got behind this and supported our wee club. We have saved MASK’s home with huge thanks to the staff, committee, local councillors and the community. Roll on many more happy years of wrap-around care at Muirtown.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman confirmed it would survive until next summer.
