The Whitecraig’s Gala committee has expressed their devastation at the sale of a Church of Scotland building in their community.
Kate MacDonald, who holds the role of treasurer within the committee, has said that she is “disappointed” that the Church has been put up for sale.
St John's Church in Whitecraig’s was put up for sale for £100,000 by the Church presbyteries after it became evident that they could no longer afford to maintain it.
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But Kate, who held an event for her mother’s funeral in the premises and was christened in the Church, argues that the building should be kept within the community and used as a hub to support local villagers' needs.
She says that the Church has given little consideration to the option of a lease agreement and disagrees with the move to sell it to potential housing developers or relative outsiders.
The hall at the Church has been used by Whitecraig’s Gala to host rehearsals and other events that are important to residents.
On the decision to sell, she said: “We used it over the last few years prior to Covid for rehearsals for our Gala events. I even buried my mother there in 2018 and helped the Church see the potential for renting the space out.
“As a member of the Church, I was devastated to hear that it was closing down last December (2021) due to the presbytery being unable to afford to replace a boiler and maintain the building.
“I feel as a community we have not had the opportunity to try to keep the space for local residents.
“A couple of us on the Gala committee have had experience of buying Church buildings in the past in Prestonpans by using various funding measures from organisations like the lottery.
“We were able to secure £150,000 in order to cover salaries and community programmes from this space and see a similar potential for St John's.
“I approached the Church about potentially leasing the space for a year, covering costs, and seeing how we would get on but we did not have any success.
“It is a huge building that is so important to many of us - it has so much potential.
“We feel the Church of Scotland is supposed to be there to serve members of the community but that this decision has simply come down to money.
“Unfortunately we do not have the funding to take on a mortgage at this time but local residents are trying to rally round to come up with a plan.
“A few people were saying if 100 of us could get together £1,000 then it could maybe work and I personally pledged the first £1,000 but it does not seem that simple.
“We have heard an investor wants to buy it and put up two homes. This would be heartbreaking as it is such an important historical building for the villagers.
“If we were given time to try to get funding then it would be greatly appreciated but it feels as though it is too late as people are already viewing the property.
“The church is closing their eyes to the possibilities - we have already built up a Gala from scratch over the last four years so we have the capabilities to do something special here.
“It is so important for the community spirit that this building is seen to be thriving.
“There is a lot of emotion involved and local residents are starting to speak up to express their displeasure - I just wish we could keep the building in the hands of the people.”
Becka MacDonald supported her mum's comments on the sale and added that she was equally upset by the sale of the Church and feels that the Whitecraigs villagers should have been given a chance to save the space.
Both of them sit on the committee, which released a statement last week on June 22, saying: “It has so much history, memories and still has amazing potential to thrive in our wee village!
“It would be a fantastic community project and we have people involved in the village who have already been part of a similar and successful project in nearby towns.
“It could be used for live music events, a community café, a wide range of community projects such as youth work, men's groups, childcare facilities or hired out to local groups that are already established but need space to operate, the list is endless!
“It could be the heart of our Village.
“The building needs attention, heating is broken and needs completely renewed but we believe there is great potential here to bring in revenue to sustain the building.
“We also know the village has many hands-on people that could help achieve this.
“Our Gala rehearsals are normally held here too but due to its closure in December we had to relocate to somewhere smaller.
“The church is such a big space and it's sad we haven't been able to use it for our fundraising events over the past couple of years due to Covid.
“Money is what comes down to it though. We need donations, pledges, a team to build it up and sustain it.
“It won't be easy but we can't just let it go without a fight.
“Please get in touch with any ideas or feedback. We are a small village but have a big heart for our community.
“Let's stand together and make a change!”
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “Local church members have considered the future of the building – a place of worship - for many years in the face of multiple challenges and the decision to sell it was not taken lightly.”
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