Alltnacriche Staff Housing Appeal

Introduction

The Alltnacriche centre is set in 17 stunning acres of open parkland and woodland in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

For over 20 years, SU holidays and weekends have been central to the work at Alltnacriche where many young people have come to faith, been discipled and trained in this beautiful setting.  The heart of the work - introducing young people to Jesus and helping them to explore the Christian faith - remains unchanged.  We want more young people to enjoy the benefits of this unique environment.

As the vision for the ministry has developed, so have the facilities and the activities.  Since the mid-1990s, when the sports hall was built, Educational Activity Breaks have grown in popularity - and that is no surprise.  The location, so close to the natural habitat of woodland creatures (from red squirrels to stoats, resident bats to buzzards that fly overhead), gives a fantastic base for our schools Residential Experiences.

Alltnacriche Staff Housing Update

In October last year Andy Bathgate wrote to Scripture Union Scotland supporters about the need to address the staff accommodation situation at Alltnacriche. The generosity of the SU family was humbling, with over £135,000 donated. We are encouraged and we are making progress.

• A property has been rented locally and short term accommodation offered by local supporters. This has helped us minimise the use of the on-site caravans.
• A project development group with skills in planning, architecture, project management and building development is taking the project forward.
• The planning application is ready for submission and the final estimate of costs is imminent.

We hope that you will be encouraged that we are making the best use of the resources you have entrusted to us and value your continued prayers as we move in to this next stage.

When do we hope to commence building?
The timeframe for commencing the build is dependent on planning approval. Our application may be "called in" by the Cairngorms National Park Authority - this could delay our start date. The submitted application details how the development both supports the objectives of the national park, and sits within the local plan. The building phase would take up to five months.

What are we building?
The design we are using gives flexibility of use. We hope to build two detached buildings, giving us four semi-detached units each with two bedrooms at this point. This meets our most pressing needs and allows for further development at a later stage. The choice of location will minimise disruption to users of the centre, which will remain open through the project. We hope to have the build phase completed by the end of 2010.

Why build on site rather than buy locally?
Renting a property in Aviemore on a temporary basis has helped us assess whether on-site accommodation is preferable to purchasing locally. Our experience is that while this pragmatic solution was the best short term option, the value of building onsite both from a practical point of view as well as use of financial resources has been clearly endorsed.

Schools & Activities Development

The current Scottish Education focus on the "classroom outdoors" means that the biggest opportunity for growth is schools work.  Schools rate our residential experiences very highly.  They are attracted by the environmental learning possibilities, which facilitate the exploration of key education themes with the added activities that make learning memorable.  We can help schools to deliver their objectives while introducing the Christian faith in a holistic way.

We are already seeing exciting growth and are poised for future development, but the lack of adequate staff housing holds us back.  Addressing this issue is the next key step that we need to take.  Fit for purpose housing would enable us to employ many people beyond the short term and allow the centre to work with many more young people.

What is wrong with the current accommodation?

At present, staff flats suffer from noise generated by users of the centre, which makes it difficult for staff to "leave" work. In addition, three seasonal staff are accommodated in temporary caravans (with limited facilities) for seven months of the year.

The need to improve and expand the staff accommodation has been well recognised since the development of the main house in 2004, which improved the standard of guest accommodation and increased the capacity of the centre.  It is not practical to expect staff to buy their own property as the cost (and rent) of local housing puts it out of reach for most Alltnacriche employees.

Latest Appeal News

As of 6 November 2009 the appeal has raised £133,907 from 616 respondents.  Thank you for your support!

What Others Say...

"Over the past 20 years many different groups have come to Alltnacriche and each year at Easter and in the summer, SU holidays have been held there. There is a unique feel to this beautiful centre surrounded by hills, lochs and woods.  Here people have been introduced to the Christian gospel and helped to grow in their faith."

Colin Sinclair

"Working as Project Manager for the initial development of Alltnacriche, was one of the most fulfilling periods in my life.  As old plaster ceilings fell down, it was exciting to see money pour in to enable the project to be completed well beyond the initial meagre budget."

Melville Paton