A CHANGE OF USE FOR CAFE

SCYD’s Wellmeadow space to be used by groups

Community groups in east Perthshire could be set to benefit after a charity-run cafe in Blairgowrie closed its doors to the public.

The Wellmeadow Cafe operated by the Strathmore Centre for Youth Development (SCYD) has changed its remit within the last week. The award-winning venture – based in Wellmeadow House in the centre of the town – will still be used by SCYD and the youth group is said to be looking forward to hiring it out as a community events space in the future.

Becky Moran (pictured) has been running the meeting place for the last two and a half years.

The former Blairgowrie and Rattray Young Person of the Year said she hoped local groups would benefit from the decision to move the facility away from its origins as a traditional-style public cafe.

Becky explained: “The cafe closed just last week - it is only closed to the public, we’ll still do events and things in it.

“It will be a bit of a change-over to be more community involved rather than as a cafe. It will be more

for the charity to use rather than to make money for SCYD.

“I have been running it for the last two and a half years, but I am moving on so the youth workers here will be more involved with it now.”

Becky explained how those at SCYD often found it difficult to find the space for their different groups because of the cafe, so she hoped this move with stop that from happening again in the future.

She continued: “We found it difficult when the cafe was open all the time. A lot of groups came in to use the space and we couldn’t give it to them because the cafe was open.

“We felt there is already a lot of cafes here in Blairgowrie, so it would be better for us to give everyone else the use of the space instead of trying to compete with other cafes in the town. I think this will be better for everybody.”

SCYD already has a number of events planned for the space – and an exhibition is on this week.

Becky added: “We will have different workshops going on so it will still be here for people who want to come in to do different things.

“For example, we have a jam-making workshop on November 30 using the cafe’s kitchens.

“Strengthening Families comes in too – the community will be able to use this space more effectively now.

“This week we have had the Common Ground exhibition, which we are hosting in the Wellmeadow Cafe. We are serving teas and coffees and traybakes at it as well.”

The exhibition runs until October 14 at the Gas Brae venue.

Part of the Cateran’s Common Wealth initiative, it features new aerial photographs of the Cateran Trail from Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and textile work by local groups and primary school children who worked with textile artist Deirdre Nelson.

The exhibition is open 9.30am to 3pm until Saturday this week.