Forres House Community Centre champion determined to prevent Moray Council cut

A Forres quine has gathered more than 3000 signatures on a petition calling for a cherished local building to be saved.

Last week, the Gazette revealed that a report commissioned by Moray Council repeatedly singled out Forres House Community Centre and discussed the prospect of its closure due to inadequate financial returns.

Emma Ritchie quickly responded by launching an online petition titled ‘Prevent Moray Council from closing Forres Community Centre’.

She said: “I’m heartened by the number of people who have signed so far which shows the council just how valued our centre is. The petition is only the beginning of the work we’re willing to do to stop this closure.”

The Moray Sports and Leisure Review was presented at a full meeting of council last week.

Councillors agreed a weighted system to aid deciding whether to close sites, and to hold a closed-doors workshop to draw up a plan for possible closures.

The community ranked lowly on several of the criteria, putting it at risk of being shut.

For the last 51 years, Forres House Community Centre has offered facilities for all age groups to socialise and learn new skills, alongside opportunities for young people and a wide range of sporting groups.

Despite the local authority closing its youth café upstairs during the last decade and replacing it with office facilities after the closure of the Auchernack Access Point in 2020, the complex still houses two well-used halls, Forres Coffee House and kitchen, as well as Forres Library.

Emma is one of generations of residents who has used the centre all of her life.

“I’ve been using the centre since I was a baby when I went to classes with my mum,” she said. “I have memories of having my fifth birthday party upstairs and playing the parachute game.

“I attended the badminton club after school, I gave blood in the games hall and attended spin classes in other rooms.

“I’ve borrowed countless books from the library, and I’ve eaten hundreds of burgers from the coffee house where I meet my friends.”

Like so many other residents over the years, Emma attended Friday Night Club as a teenager too.

She said: “That’s something that is sorely needed in our community now.

“I also book a court or two almost every Tuesday to play pickleball - if I’m not quick enough it’s already fully booked.

“If the centre is closed for good, where else will these activities be available? Are people expected to wait for years for the new secondary school and facilities to be built? And does this then mean that we will only be able to use them out of school hours?”

Moray Council has not yet decided which sports and leisure facilities should be closed or restructured in the region but the review indicates that the centre could form part of “necessary” changes to local services to balance the budget.

“Currently, the court at the swimming pool can only be booked on a Friday evening or the weekend for limited hours,” said Emma. “This isn’t enough to meet demand.

“It’s not realistic to expect people to travel outwith Forres to do these activities. This would create barriers for those who can’t access transport and increase costs. In any case, why should everything be centralised to Elgin?”

Emma argues that, as Forres’ population increases, keeping Forres House open will help the demands of the new population.

She added: “Health issues and isolation will increase if the centre is closed.”

The final decision will be influenced by usage, with claims from council sources that Forres House is under-used.

Emma argues the facility is still extremely popular with a wide range of age groups.

She said: “The measurement figures should not only count fitness classes, but also the hall and library users, café customers, children’s groups and gymnastics … the list goes on and on.”

Forres Community Council (FCC) will discuss the Moray Sports and Leisure Review at their next public meeting at Erskine Veterans Activity Centre on Thursday, February 20, at 7pm.

FCC chairman, Steve Ferris, said: “The review paints a very bleak picture, but misses the point that Forres House is much more than a sports hall.

“It is the only council building left in Forres where people can go with council-related issues. It houses our only access to the Near Me NHS video consulting service. Forres House Community Centre is a multi-faceted building that needs to be looked at holistically.

“We hope to galvanise support for the building and show our Moray Councillors who will be in attendance and the local authority how important the building is to the wellbeing of Forres folk.”

To sign Emma’s petition, visit https://www.change.org/p/prevent-moray-council-from-closing-forres-community-centre