A HELENSBURGH community facility is to receive a £2 million upgrade to mark the first anniversary of a joint development plan between the Royal Navy and Argyll and Bute Council.
Work to upgrade the Drumfork Centre in Churchill Square, which is being funded by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, was started on Monday by local building contractor Stewart & Shields Ltd.
The renovation is linked to the Strategic Delivery and Development Framework (SDDF) agreement, the memorandum of understanding signed in February last year between the Royal Navy, the UK government, and the Argyll and Bute Community Partnership.
Captain Craig Mearns, Captain of HMS Neptune, said: “A huge amount of effort has been expended to get this exciting and important project to this stage.
“The SDDF agreement committed the signatories to work together to deliver infrastructure and opportunities for both Royal Navy families and local people to live, work and prosper together and the Drumfork project is a fantastic example of exactly that, and even more so given that the contract for the refurbishment work has been awarded to a local company.”
The refurbishment, which will include an area for a registered childcare provider and five multi-purpose function rooms that can be used for organised and semi-organised activities, is due to complete in August with the centre reopening later this year.
Funding for the project has come from the RNRMC, the military charity which supports sailors, marines and their families.
Robert Robson, chief executive of the RNRMC, said: “After years of planning with the Royal Navy, it is fantastic to see that work has finally begun on the much needed Drumfork Community Centre. This centre is the start of a new beginning; one which will foster greater social cohesion, provide much needed child care facilities and that will create a home away from home for those who followed the flag to the area.”
The SDDF was signed at Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre on February 27, 2017 and was witnessed by Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here