Now for the hard bit. What is this all going to cost? Well the short answer is, a lot, 2.5M is our current estimate.

When we embarked on this project we discussed what our aims should be. Should it be to carry out repairs that were identified and required as part of the independent survey and give the existing facility a lick of paint? Would the same building limited to the same services deliver what was required for the community and could this be self-sustaining? The answer from the initial community survey was an overwhelming no!

So we have big objectives that have a big price tag but it is essential that we achieve them. Darvel has few community facilities and those that it does have are under increasing threats of closure; the Sports Centre, the Library and the Town Hall are all likely to go over the next 2-3 years as budget cuts bite harder and we already have a date for the closure of the Sports Centre if we are not successful. The Library will follow (why we are incorporating a modern digital library within the building) and despite protestations to the contrary, the Town Hall will be under even more cost saving pressure.

So it is imperative that we succeed in achieving our aims and we have a professional fundraiser in place to help with this large objective. Whilst most of the fundraising will be focused on large scale grant applications to existing and recognised bodies, there will be some small scale community events to raise funds for specific requirements and we would encourage everyone in Darvel to get behind these.