Children’s programme crisis at Muirhouse Community Centre

You may be aware that for several years the Muirhouse Community (formerly Millennium) Centre has been running a children’s programme. Due to the lack of financial support from City of Edinburgh’s Children & Families Department we have had to review these activities.

The current situation is that the Centre has had to meet all the running costs and the vast majority of staffing for the children’s clubs. This is in stark contrast to the West Pilton and Royston Wardieburn situation where all costs are usually met from Children and Families Department budgets.

We have raised this disparity with Council officials and local Councillors on several occasions without any progress being made. Therefore, we have come to the decision that we will run a reduced children’s programme until December.

If we have not received a commitment from the Council to support children’s work in the January to March term then we will no longer be able to run children’s activities.

It is our intention to organise a public meeting on this issue and invite the local Councillors and officials to attend the meeting.

Muirhouse Community Centre’s core funding is to support older people and parents on low incomes. Despite that, we have done our best to offer a good programme of children’s activities for P1s right through to P7s.

There is plenty of evidence that out of school activities improve young people’s health and wellbeing. With hundreds of new homes being built in Muirhouse, the Council should be trying to offer the resources for children to grow and prosper.

MUIRHOUSE MILLENNIUM COMMUNITY CENTRE

Please feel free to get in touch with Peter Airlie (Centre Manager) on 467-3578 or enquiremuirhouse@gmail.com if you want further information or have any questions.

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davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer