Posted Wednesday, 21st August 2024
After 10 years in the making, work will officially start on the redevelopment of the school on 26th August 2024!
The old Dryfesdale Public School in Lockerbie, was built in 1875 and has stood in the heart of Lockerbie ever since with so many people having a connection to the building and what has happened in it. It has been owned by the local community since October 2020, following an asset transfer from D&G Council and now an exciting new chapter in the building’s history is about to begin as the Lockerbie Old School Community Hub SCIO (LOS) is about to start work on the redevelopment of this beautiful old building, creating a much-needed community and enterprise centre.
The site has been officially handed over to contractors, Ashleigh (Scotland) Ltd, and work is due to commence on Monday 26th August 2024. LOS are looking forward to working with Ashleigh (Scotland) Limited and the community will enjoy watching the Old School take shape to bring this fantastic facility to life for the benefit of the local area. The building work is expected to take a year, with the centre hoping to open around the end of 2025/start of 2026.
The Old School will have a variety of multi-functional communal spaces for hire by local organisations and the community, plus serviced office spaces, therapy rooms and chill out areas. It will offer the community the ability to learn new skills that will enhance both their personal and professional lives, including business courses, social and community events and activities. It has been designed to be an inclusive and accessible space.
A spokesperson for Ashleigh (Scotland) Limited said ‘we are delighted to be starting work on The Lockerbie Old School Community Hub project this month in partnership with the Charity’s volunteer Board.
We look forward to undertaking this project that aims to revive the Old School, respecting its heritage, while establishing a vibrant community hub for the residents of Lockerbie and the surrounding area.’
The charity also took ownership recently of the Old Bank of Scotland building on the High Street. Despite it still needing some final remedial work to the inside of the property, their hope is to open this to the public as a temporary community space until the Old School is operational.
The development has been 10 years in the making and the Charity could not have got to where they are today without the ongoing support of their major funders, Dumfries & Galloway Council and the Scottish Government, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and the Holywood Trust. Jackie Moffat, Chair of the Lockerbie Old School Community Hub SCIO said ‘It is a triumph for not only our Board of Voluntary Trustees and Members, but the community as a whole seeing the project get to this point. It has been a long time coming, but we always believed, despite the challenges we have had put in our path, that we would bring the much needed facility to the town and surrounding area. We ask the community to get behind the project. We have an AGM coming up in September and if anyone would like to be hands on with the project at this exciting stage, then we are always looking for new keen people to join our team. Together you can help us shape the facility into one that will really benefit the town and its inhabitants.”
You can follow the progress of the build and the Charity as a whole via our social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram, or you can email coms@lockerbieoldschool.org for more information about becoming a Board member.