The group of concerned residents has grown from a small committee to being incorporated as a private registered company with the sole purpose of saving Lamlash Church and hall for the community.
Since August 2023, Lamlash Community Hub has been exploring a number of avenues to potentially buy the church and hall while investigating the feasibility and cost of running such a community space.
Lamlash Community Hub is particularly keen to work with the Church of Scotland to ensure it remains a viable and appreciated community asset in Lamlash for the future. The Church of Scotland has said it will retain the church and hall for community use, however, the duration of this remains unknown.
Owing to a reduction in church attendance numbers and the costs involved with running numerous churches, the Church of Scotland has retained Brodick, Lochranza, Shiskine and Whiting Bay as the main places of worship with the future of the remaining churches yet to be decided.
Lamlash Community Hub adopted the formal structure of a private registered company with charitable aims to meet the requirements of Community Right to Buy (CRtB) legislation and has been involved in discussions with North Ayrshire Council about its Repurposing Property Fund Grant scheme.
Additionally, the Lamlash Community Hub committee has met with architects and lawyers to discuss its plans and has attended training and information sessions about redeveloping church buildings.
After hosting a well-attended engagement day with interested parties last year and sending a letter to every Lamlash household informing them of its plans, Lamlash Community Hub has received a huge amount of support from the community.
The organisation has also received support from 12 community organisations, including financial assistance from Auchrannie Charitable Trust and local Co-op stores and, crucially, a sizeable grant from the Scottish Land Fund to carry out a formal feasibility study.
This will include various options and financial models – all of which will allow the organisation to progress with applications for grants and other government and non-governmental schemes.
To help fundraise, and to keep the community informed of its progress, Lamlash Community Hub members hosted an Easter Family Fun Day last Saturday. This included coffee and home-baking, an egg hunt, face painting and an Easter bonnet parade.
The feasibility study will start next month and the Lamlash Community Hub’s steering group committee will keep members and the community informed of its progress.