Bid launched to save local YWCA

Jun 30 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

LOCALS in East Perthshire are banding together to save a much-loved community centre.

YWCA Scotland officially closed their Coupar Angus branch yesterday in a bid to cut costs, ending a near-80 year association with the area and leaving its three youth workers in limbo.

But Perth and Kinross Council’s local community capacity worker, John Corrigan, said there was a will within the Coupar Angus community – particularly the younger ones who previously used the facility – to form a new group to take over the running of the Union Street premises.

He said: “We’ve had two meetings in the last week and both have been really positive. The YWCA have said that, although they have decided to close the building, they are prepared to hand it over to a local community group.”

John added that a series of meetings will be taking place over the coming months to establish a constitution and take the community’s impetus forward.

The first of these is to be held on July 7 in the “Y”.