PUBLIC ACCESS ROW AT CAMPUS
Access to Skipness blocked if main Arran ferry off
A door linking the school and the sports centre is at the centre of a row over the safety of pupils.
Parents of high school children in fear for the safety of their children are calling for public access to Mid Argyll Sports Centre to be stopped during school hours. Lochgilphead High School Parent Council says the safety of children is being compromised, due to the chance they could come into contact with adult strangers.
They are concerned about a door which links the school with the sports centre.
But there has been a backlash from members of the public, who say the sports centre is for the use of the whole community, not just the school.
Operated by Live Argyll on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council, the multi-use sports facility serves Lochgilphead High School and the general public of Mid Argyll. Due to use by education, the gym at the sports centre is already unavailable to the public at certain times; for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In an open letter to Live Argyll shared on social media, the parent council says that talks with council officers have failed to address their concerns.
The statement from the PC reads: “Fundamentally we do not believe that the current control measures and risk assessments are enough to protect our children. Instead, we are of the view that neither these nor the associated review process are fit for purpose.
“Indeed, we think that the measures required to properly make this arrangement safe would require so much extra resource, particularly with regard to staffing, that it would not be feasible.
“By way of example, many of the identified control measures are reliant on a single door which has been found to be faulty on several occasions.
“This is the only point of entry into the school from the sports centre and we believe that, as demonstrated by the incidents reported in just one term, this poses a very real security risk.”
It continues: “Our children have the right to full access to the campus facilities throughout the school day without having to share the space with adult strangers. All children should be able to feel safe whilst using the facilities, and not be worried about who might be where etc.
“Similarly, teaching staff should not be having to monitor the pupils’ every move in case they accidentally meet a stranger. Members of the public should also feel they can safely access without worrying about potential inappropriate contact with children and without being monitored by Live Argyll staff.”
The parent council goes on to say that it does not feel it is being taken seriously by Argyll and Bute Council. It says the safety of children is being compromised in order to allow the arrangement of sharing the sports centre with the public to continue.
While the parent council concedes that the likelihood of any inappropriate contact or access may be low, “the consequences of any such incident are potentially extremely serious”.
The statement concludes: “Council officers have consistently failed to recognise this, and instead appear to be prioritising a small number of external users above the safety and wellbeing of all the children. It is our view that the council is failing its duty of care obligations to our children.”
There has been considerable backlash online.
Among those who disagree with the call to keep the public
A 15-year-old rugby player from Inveraray is taking on a challenge for five different charities by walking up to the town’s Watch Tower five times – in one day.
Feorlin Renton, who plays for Stirling County Under 16s, is hoping members of the community will join her in some of the walks up Dun na Cuaiche.
She will set off from Inveraray Pier at 5am on Sunday May 5 and will do it again at 7am, 9am, 11am and 1pm. By the end of the day, the distance covered will be a little more than going up and down Ben Nevis.
The weekend event is called The Big 5 Challenge. There will be a coffee morning on Saturday May 4 in the Nicol Hall, Inveraray, from 11am – 1.30pm. A raffle will be taking place, and it is hoped to have a signed rugby ball up for grabs.
Feorlin is raising money for five charities close to her heart – The Beatson, Glasgow Children’s Hospital, The Wooden Spoon Children’s Rugby Charity, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Inveraray Pier Fund.
She has a lot of loved ones who have received treatment at the Beatson, has received treatment for a knee injury at the children’s hospital, the out during school hours is Ardrishaig woman Libby Mcguinness.
She commented: “I thought the sport centre was built for the community not the school. Surely members of the public are entitled to have full access to their local sports facility unless stated anywhere it was built for school purpose. If this is the case then a facility needs to be found elsewhere for the general public.”
A spokeswoman for the council said: “The security and wellbeing of our young people is a priority. The door connecting the school to the sports centre is only accessible by key fob used by staff. As an additional safety measure, we are adding more signs in the leisure centre to notify all users which areas are public or restricted.” pier fund is a local charity and of course, she has a strong affinity with rugby.
Feorlin said: “Doddie Weir’s number was five, and I decided people might like to help five different charities, so they can pick whichever one they want to sponsor, and the money will go to that charity.
“The Watch Tower is a special place, I climbed to it quite a lot during lockdown with my family, and I did the Santa
Dash there.”
The energetic teen has been playing rugby since second year at high school. She played for Mid Argyll Rugby Club’s under 14 side. There is no under 16s team at Mid Argyll, so she joined Stirling County Under 16s, which recently won the Caledonia Cup.
When she leaves school, she hopes to play rugby professionally and study sports therapy.
Feorlin is the daughter of Meg and Kenny Renton, she has a sister, Holly and a brother, Kyle, who will all be there to support her Big 5 Challenge.
All friends and members of the community are welcome to join in.
She said: “I would like to thank Argyll Estate for letting me do this, because there will be a lot of people going on their property. And also thank you to Mrs Mather for the Nicol Hall.”