New face for Stromness Community Centre

Shopping Week will provide the latest chance to give feedback on plans for the development of Stromness Community Centre.

The beloved town centre building was acquired by the Stromness Development Trust in March, which will reveal the newest set of proposals as it works towards a million pound renovation.

Guiding the transition, is community development officer and community centre lead with the Stromness Community Development Trust, Simone Burke.

Mrs Burke, who has been getting her feet under the counter at the community centre’s cafe, took over from the previous community development officer, Ruby Merriman, in April.

Since then, she has overseen the day-to-day running of the building as well as applying for funding and liaising with the architects.

Mrs Burke brings with her a wealth of experience, having worked as a project manager for Citibank in Barcelona and as an IT consultant for DEFRA.

Since moving here, the 39-year-old has worked with Zero Waste Orkney and was a relief postie in the West Mainland.

She is keen to increase the number of users at the centre and expand the already wide variety of groups that make use of the facility.

These include toddler groups, youth clubs, an air rifle shooting club, the repair cafe, and a board games group.

The centre is also home to a range of sport and activities including volleyball, badminton, exercise classes and has one of the few publicly available snooker tables left in Orkney.

The trust are hopeful the centre may be able to provide accommodation in the future for the town’s cadets and possibly the pipe band.

It also hosts MP surgeries, kids parties (with a bouncy castle available to rent) and is a key venue for the folk festival.

“There is still a lot of availability for other groups and we would love to see more users,” said Mrs Burke, who is currently reviewing the booking procedures.

It is hoped the building will function more as community halls do in other parishes, and be used for events such a burns suppers, bingo nights, quizzes and even wedding receptions.

To get there, the development trust are looking at a significant renovation.

“We would like to modernise it to make it more accessible and energy efficient,” Mrs Burke said.

“The lift is a huge part of the renovations and everything that will also go along with the reconstruction, plumbing and electric.”

It is estimated the work will cost at least £1.5 million.

“We would also like more toilets, bigger kitchens, a co-working space and have the nursery and cafe open out into the play park.

“The original time scale — the inspirational time scale — would be to start work after the folk festival 2027,” Mrs Burke said.

“It is all dependant on the funding applications. It is a big project and we would expect it to take up to a year.”

For vice-chairwoman of the development trust and Stromness and South Isles councillor, Janette Park, the plans are a major step forward for the town.

She feels that, since the building moved into community ownership, there has been a renewed interest in its future development.

“I just feel it would be brilliant for Stromness,” she said.