Talks to be held over Monday Club’s future
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AN emergency meeting is being held tomorrow night by a popular Thurso club which caters for adults with learning disabilities.
The Monday Club has called the meeting as Thurso Youth Club is facing mounting pressure from the Highland Council to give youth organisations priority at its Old Mill premises.
The Monday Club has provided activities for up to 40 adults every second week for the past 22 years.
However, the council, which provides the youth centre with core funding, and local High Life Highland youth development officers have been pushing for the best use of the building for youngsters.
The Monday Club is now being asked to consider changing its weekly night from Monday to a different day of the week or find alternative premises.
The youth club’s committee chairman, Roger Saxon, said: “We wish to increase our youth service provision and the only available evening for this is a Monday,” he said. “The Monday Club use our building every second Monday and we would like to run our girls’ group every week.
“The alternative is that they will be looking for other premises for our girls’ group.”
Hugh Millar, chairman of the Monday Club, has been informally asked to see if his group could meet on a Sunday instead.
The organisation’s committee members are holding the meeting to discuss its future.
Local councillor Willie Mackay has been a volunteer with the Monday Club since 1994.
He is disappointed the group was not given more warning. “It’s not easy to find a suitable alternative venue in Thurso on a Monday evening and the learning disabled members look forward so much to coming to the youth club.”
*For more on this, see tomorrow’s Caithness Courier.
