Troon Development Trust must raise £200k to save Old Parish Church
The charity wants to transform the space into a thriving community hub, rather than let the historic site be snapped up by developers
One of Troon’s most iconic buildings is at risk of being lost to private sale – unless a local charity can raise £200,000 by the end of September to transform it into a community hub.
The Old Parish Church, which is the oldest church in the town, has been earmarked to go on the market but the Church of Scotland has given the Troon Development Trust temporary exclusivity for a potential a buy-out.
The Trust is determined to keep the space in the communities hands, with plans to turn it into a vibrant space for local people instead of letting it be snapped up by private developers.
The group, made up of local volunteers, believes the building could be repurposed to support a wide range of social, cultural and environmental projects – including exhibitions and performance spaces.
Maureen Leonard, chair of the Troon Development Trust, said: "We've been motivated since day one, and it's only just hit us like a ton of bricks that we have a very small window to raise the funds.
"We're still very positive and optimistic, we're going to give it our best and just go for it.
"It's the oldest church in the town and it's very well loved.
"We felt it would be a bit sad to let it go to a private developer, or worse still, if it wasn't snapped up and was left to ruin.
"The go-to place for things like this would be the Scottish Land Fund, but we've been told the well is dry and they won't be releasing any more funds because of the Scottish elections next year. So, we're really trying to get the community behind us.
"If everyone in the town gave £2 a week - less than a coffee - we'd have the money in no time.
"So we're looking at crowdfunding, we're looking at other grants, we're looking at philanthropy, everything we can do to try and get this money together."
The Troon Development Trust has launched a dedicated fundraising page and is encouraging people to follow the campaign on social media and spread the word.
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