Musselburgh rallies behind much-loved The Hollies Day Centre amid concerns for its future

Neil Wilson, Town Champion at the 2016 Riding of the Marches, said that local residents would be “devastated” if there was any threat to the much-loved facility.

Backing for the High Street day centre, which provides a range of services for pensioners, came in the wake of a debate at a meeting of the East Lothian Integration Joint Board during which health chiefs warned it was unlikely to pass a care inspection.

A report about funding for day centres in the county also made reference to a “Musselburgh new centre”.

Liz Shannon, manager of The Hollies, stressed that only its dementia annexe was registered with the Care Inspectorate and no inspection had yet taken place.

She told the Courier: “Rather than saying things like that at meetings, I think they should try and help us get through the care inspection. Until we actually have a care inspector come in, we don’t know.”

Roger Knox, vice-chairman of the board of trustees at The Hollies and a former depute provost of East Lothian, said: “This is probably one of the most successful examples of community enterprise in the entire country. It has been going for 50 years but over that time it has grown and integrated itself into the community. It depends on the community but the community depends on it.

“At a time when community enterprises are being encouraged to start up, it would seem ridiculous to do anything that would take away from this particular institution. To either extend or upgrade the existing facilities to encourage even more participation would seem the obvious way to go.

“It is unthinkable to interfere with the success of the place.

“If it were not to pass a community care inspection, then with relatively little expenditure, it could be brought up to whatever standard is needed and we are quite confident that would be the case.”

He added: “The reaction to any suggestion that the centre could be closed would not just be in Musselburgh but throughout the whole county.

“This is by far and away the most ideal position for The Hollies. It is in the centre of the town, accessible by public transport and is on one side of a pedestrian crossing. Everybody knows where it is and members of the public can drop into the cafe and shop, and keep up with their friends.

“If it was stuck, say, at Stoneyhill or somewhere out at Levenhall, it would die overnight.

“If people are not passing it, it is a complete disincentive.”

Ms Shannon highlighted the community support for The Hollies, which received more than £1,000 from Loretto Junior School this year, while other fundraising ventures including a golden wedding collection and the proceeds from a 90th birthday party. Levenhall Burns Club also donated several hundred pounds to the centre.

She explained that new flooring had been provided in the dining room with a grant of £6,500 from the Christina Mary Hendrie Trust, roof repairs costing £9,000 were carried out, £3,500 spent to replace the water tanks and other work amounting to £1,800.

Mr Wilson, who is also president of Musselburgh Rotary Club and a former Honest Lad, said: “It is a well-used facility and people talk about The Hollies. When you get to a certain age that is where people meet and socialise.

“Everybody has or knows somebody who has benefited from The Hollies at one stage or another.

“I was speaking at a Burns supper at The Hollies on Saturday night and the Musselburgh Festival has also used its facility for small functions and receptions because it is bang in the middle of the town. It is a nice thing to have and such a beautiful building as well.

“The Rotary Club has also used the facility and we have done some voluntary work such as painting and decorating in The Hollies when they relaunched the shop.

“If you take it to somewhere else, say, a purpose-built facility on the outskirts of the town, I don’t think it will have the same impact for people.

“I would ask the council to do an assessment on the building and find out what needs to be done. We need to work as a community and that means maybe all the groups coming together to make sure it does meet the requirements.”

Irene Tait, chairwoman of Musselburgh & Inveresk Community Council, said the centre should remain in its present location and be upgraded if necessary.

“The Hollies does excellent work and is ideally located. It is a great asset to the town,” she added.

Musselburgh resident John Lancashire, 85, started attending the lunch club at the centre six months ago after his wife died.

“My granddaughter brought me along to the centre,” he said. “I started going once a week, then twice and I am now going along five times a week. I also go to the dancing every second Thursday.

“The food is excellent and you can’t beat it for price. I am picked up from my door and taken home afterwards. All I can say is – don’t shut this place. It is nice and central so I can pick up odds and ends as it is near the shops.”

Actor James Martin, 85, who plays Eric in the TV comedy Still Game, is a committee member and volunteer at the centre’s nearly-new shop.

He said: “The beauty of The Hollies is the fact that it is very central and the elderly can walk to it. For those that can’t, the bus goes round and collects them. An awful lot of people drop into the cafeteria because they like it and the food is fresh. The centre is also on the banks of the River Esk and there is a garden which can be used in the summer. It is a wonderful facility.”