The Edinburgh Prison Officers Club have been given notice to quit their premises by today but now they have support from all city councillors and Gordon MacDonald MSP in their bid to stay put.  This is the joint letter which has been sent to the Chief Executive of Scottish Prisons today…..

Joint letter from City Councillors and Gordon MacDonald MSP to Scottish Prison Service by

Phyllis Stephen
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. As a member of this club for nearly five years it saddens me to see that the situation has come to this. I am not a prison officer and never have been. I have attended many a great evening here from children’s parties, charity events and just a good enjoyable Saturday night relaxing and listening to live entertainment. Not once in all this time have i seen any trouble where the police have been called. Not many places can say that. It’s what makes it a great community facility. The work done for charity is effortless and many a deserving cause has benefited from monies raised. Charities which will lose out to this blinkered decision. I can see no reason at all for the apparent vindictiveness of the prison service in selling this facility to a developer who has had the wool pulled over their eyes with regards to the potential of the site. The Prison Service claim to be getting value for the public purse. Then let the public decide what is true value for money, and not a couple of ‘senior civil servants’ who are clearly not serving the public they are employed to serve. The minister is only acting on the information provided by these ‘servants’, all be it wrong and ill considered information. Selling the club to the club can be the only option which offers true value to the public purse and community, securing the jobs of all who are employed there and providing a community with a focal point which will reap benefits beyond that off a bottom line for many years to come. That is true value to the public purse.

  2. Kind words Brian, thank you. and so much support from the council and our MSP’s. Crudens the developers have pulled out and still the chief executive of the prison service is insisting that we close the club. so there is no deal on the table and no rent coming from us…how on earth is the public gaining from that. 20 people lose their jobs, charities lose thousand of pounds and the community loses a wonderful asset …disgraceful behaviour from a government department. Justice minister Mr McAskill please use your experience to amend this decision.

  3. My sister and sister inlaw have there dance practices at the hall and closing it will mean they will have no more dancing and lead to the dancing closing down because they have no where to practice for there competitions and believe me they are good and don’t deserve to be forsed to give up on something they trully love doing so please don’t close the club think of the children who will be extreamly up set to say goodbye to there friends that they have made while dancing infact there not friends the prison officers club have brought everyone together and made it more like a family and by closing this club you will break that family apart.
    Please we are begging from dancers and members to non member and chritys helped by the club don’t take and destroy something so amazing.

  4. Shocking that it has come to this little gem of a place closing!!!
    Was part of my childhood for various parties and also into adulthood!
    Where is the justification on shutting which is clearly a nice local club!
    Disgracefull!! Lets hope the ruling get reveresed!!!!

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