Trying to save Coldingham hostel:
The history of hostelling in Scotland took a sharp if soundless twist last week when James Urquhart, a resident of Coldingham on the Berwickshire coast, opened a letter over his breakfast coffee. The Scottish Government informed him that, under community right-to-buy legislation, his company had been granted first refusal to buy the 36-bed youth hostel at Coldingham, earmarked for closure by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA) last September.
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If Urquhart, who is secretary of the 100-strong team of the newly formed Coldingham Sands Community Company (CSCC), is successful in raising the money required, he will have pulled off the first-ever community buy-out of a British youth hostel. "We're absolutely delighted with the decision and feel that the Scottish Government is being very supportive," he says.
Coldingham's community buy-out flies in the face of the recent trend of Scottish youth hostels being sold off to private purchasers. The total number of SYHA-owned hostels is 47. Fifty years ago, there were 90.
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"Tourism in this area has really taken off in the last few years, and the closure of the hostel would mean it would not be able to accommodate visitors on a large scale." He cites the recent example of the Sea Kayaking Association having to cancel a booking of all the B&Bs and hotels in the area for a long weekend because there was not enough accommodation for its 100 members. "That booking alone would have brought in about £10,000 to the area."
Full story here.
