Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
CLOSURE FEARS Politicians unite to try and save village centre
Hundreds sign petition
Airdrie’s MP and MSP have joined forces in a bid to save Chapelhall senior citizens’ centre from potential closure.
Neil Gray and Alex Neil, along with Airdrie South councillor Michael Coyle, have welcomed the news that over 300 people have signed the trio’s petition to help convince North Lanarkshire Council that the facility used “far more often” than the local authority believes.
Around 100 people attended a public meeting in the venue on Monday night, with many emotional residents highlighting the centre’s importance.
Councillor Coyle said: “The meeting was packed and there are a lot of people hugely concerned about the centre’s possible closure.
“One of the key points we put across was the issue of elderly people and loneliness when they have nowhere to go; the centre holds regular pensioners’ meeting, along with their Christmas party.”
Last month the Advertiser reported on how concerned villagers gathered at the underthreat Lauchope Street venue to protest the possibility of its closure.
The senior citizens’ centre is one of three Monklands community centres that could be under threat if a budget option to cut fees to Culture NL and North Lanarkshire Leisure goes ahead.
MP Mr Gray said: “For 300 people in a village to sign a petition against the closure of a hall shows the strength of feeling in Chapelhall for the centre.
“Alex Neil and I both use the centre for our surgeries and it is a fantastic venue – and one which must be saved.”
Mr Neil, MSP for Airdrie & Shotts, agreed: “This hall is in the heart of the village. Although people may need to cross Lauchope St to get there, with a pedestrian crossing right outside it is far safer for elderly users than Mount Pleasant.”