The chair of a lifeline Scots food bank has said she feels “defeated” after Storm Ewoyn delayed their move to a community hall in the heart of the most deprived part of the town.
Loaves and Fishes were successful in rescuing the under-threat venue Greenhills Community Hall in East Kilbride through South Lanarkshire Council’s Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Lite process.
But after hurricane-force gales blew the roof off the facility last Friday as 100mph winds battered the country, the multi-bank are expecting to be hit with a “significant delay” to their much-anticipated move.
Loaves and Fishes, which fights poverty by providing free food and other support for people living on the breadline.
The venue sits in the heart of the most deprived area of the town and the charity’s chair says it will better serve those in need who struggle to access the food bank at its current base in the Kelvin Industrial Estate.
Chairperson Lesley Davidson told Lanarkshire Live: “We went up ourselves to have a look, and from what we could see it’s the felt and the insulation that’s off and there’s just a wood layer left on it.
“It’s not the full building, it’s the main community hall and kitchen area that the roof’s came off. I know that the council surveyors have been out but they’ve unfortunately not got back to me yet.
“I just couldn’t believe it. It’s been such a challenge to get to this point and now I’m like come on this is enough already!
“We were still in negotiations so it was looking like it would be signed over to us in late February then a few weeks after that we would get in. I think it will be at least a couple of months longer than that now.”
The local authority, who are still assessing the extent of the damage, are believed to be picking up the bill for the repair as the long-established charity have not yet signed the lease for the building.
Lesley added: “Although it’s all been granted, we haven’t yet signed the lease, that’s with the lawyers. So because we haven’t signed, we’re not responsible to fix the roof, which is good, but the council still need to survey the extent of the damage.
“I have no control or understanding of timescales at the moment, I’m completely in the dark. I know they had a cherry picker out the other day so they’ve maybe been up on the roof.
“The main thing is nobody got hurt. The council have been really prompt in getting in touch with me, I’ve had lots of communication, so I just need to wait and see what they propose because the roof has to be fit for purpose before we sign.
“But I don’t know what that is currently, or what they’re prepared to commit to financially and time-wise. So far everything has been positive so I can’t ask for any more, it’s not their fault. But there is going to be a significant time delay I think, there’s no avoiding that.
“I can’t assume that we’re a priority as there are other buildings affected that are a priority.”
Thirty council buildings in South Lanarkshire suffered “significant damage” when gale-force winds battered the region during Storm Eowyn – with the local authority revealing they received three times the number of calls as the storm hit.
The council’s Chief Executive Paul Manning laid bare the extent of the destruction caused by Storm Eowyn as South Lanarkshire recorded the highest wind speed of 100mph in Drumalbin.
All schools across the region were closed as the storm prompted a red weather warning from the Met Office.
The Met Office has said that the storm could cause a “danger to life” over “flying debris”.
The Chief Executive revealed that two South Lanarkshire Council carers were left uninjured but badly shaken when their vehicles were struck by falling trees while on duty.
Other buildings affected include St Patrick’s Primary School in Strathaven, which was closed for two days due to roof damage, and the Red Deer Centre in East Kilbride – which is also subject to a community asset transfer – lost significant sections of its roof.
The delay, Lesley says, will have a direct impact on other community groups who were looking to use the facility such as community charity shop Waist Not Want Not and the local food bank who operate on a Monday night.
“It’s pretty wide-reaching the impact the storm has had”, Lesley continued.
“We had a structured plan in place for the move. We were organising trucks for moving, volunteers to help us, and now we don’t know what’s happening.
“It’s no insignificant job to move an operation of our size, we have two warehouses full. Logistically it’s a huge task that took a lot of planning.
“I would say I’m feeling a bit defeated at the moment, because we were just about to get there after what had been a pretty stressful period waiting to get here. Maybe we just need to look at it as a positive, that we’re going to get a building with a better conditioned roof.
“My understanding is that the council are going to cover the cost of the repair and they’re happy to fix it.”
In February last year the South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) board decided that it could not sustain delivery of 28 community halls and seven libraries and that these would be returned to the council.
At the start of the year local groups were invited to come forward to help secure the future of their community halls.
Following funding pressures faced by South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC), South Lanarkshire Council announced details of a £1million rescue package to halt the closure of the facilities.
The Community Fightback Fund (CFF) kept affected venues open for one month while local groups were asked to register their interest in taking them over as community-managed assets.
It is proposed that Loaves and Fishes will move into Greenhills Hall and Library to cater to increasing demand, deliver a wider range of services and to move into the area of most need in East Kilbride, allowing easier access for the local and wider community.
Their current base at Singer Road will close.
Operating since 1992, the anti-poverty charity has a strong committee and volunteer base and the organisation has linked up with local charity Waist Not Want Not to help those most in need, through a sub-lease of the library premises.
Commenting on the positive impact their new base will make to those less fortunate in the East Kilbride community, Lesley added: “It’s going to be incredible. Can you imagine the impact it’s going to have on people being able to access us?
“In just so many ways it’s going to be better; the service we deliver is going to be bigger and greater, we’ve got a lot of plans in place with housing, the health board and community-led support projects. It’s really exciting.”
South Lanarkshire Council was contacted for comment.
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