Locals volunteer to clean community centre

Local residents have come to the rescue of a community centre in Scotland by volunteering to foot the bill of contract cleaning costs.

Colinton Mains Community Centre in Edinburgh was about to be shut down by local authorities when they could not find the £5,000 required to keep the centre open, reports the Scotsman.

Campaigners, who had been fighting to keep the municipal centre functioning, finally agreed to meet the costs of the contract cleaning themselves. The centre will now increase the cost it charges groups to hire the premises in order to generate further funds.

Peggy Wright, secretary of the Colinton Mains Community Centre, told the Scotsman: "This is a brilliant result. We've worked really hard for this and if we're now coming out the other side it is great news.

"We agreed to arrange the cleaning ourselves. If necessary, we will also do some of the cleaning ourselves in the holidays."

Income generated from letting out the community centre usually goes towards the costs of equipment but will now be diverted towards the costs of commercial cleaning services.

Posted by Antoaneta Tsocheva