Arts venue staff draw up plan to stop axe falling

Employees and customers of the Forest Cafe have launched a campaign to buy the building, which is being sold for 1.1 million.

The venue was placed on the market by owner Edinburgh University Settlement (EUS), which went bankrupt last week.

The charity, which operated a number of community learning programmes and commercial enterprises including the Roxy Art House, has made most of its 40 staff redundant and has not even paid them for the last month they worked.

The Forest Cafe, which houses a grand hall, cafe, art gallery, studio, photography dark room, a poster printer and a hair salon, has become home to award-winning arts and theatre groups.

It had been leasing the building from EUS at "really good rates" and its staff fear that any new owners could potentially price them out of the market by hiking up the rent.

Volunteer Jane Flett said: "It's really sad that the building is up for sale because we do something really popular for Edinburgh and want to continue.

"We thought the best way to do that would be by owning the building ourselves.

"The EUS has always given us really good rates on the property and we don't know that that would happen if someone else bought the property.

"I think we definitely can raise the money. There's enough support out there and enough people who are passionate about the space that they want to see it survive."

Staff have set up a donation page on www.theforest.org.uk, are planning to organise numerous fundraising events and are also in talks with various organisations.

Staff at the Roxy Art House may start a similar campaign to save the now-defunct venue, though Rupert Thomson, former artistic director, said it was still too early to say exactly what will happen to it in future.

He said: "I really support the Forest's campaign because it's a great, unique space, but the Roxy is a different beast and, because this has been so sudden, it's worth thinking about what's best. Nothing has been ruled out at this point in time.

"The intention with the Roxy was to bridge the local artists scene with the national scene and it felt like we were able to do that at festival time and with some of the events brought in.

"I really appreciated the Settlement's educational ambition and I would like to think that whatever the next step for the Roxy might be would include the pursuit of excellence and enlightenment."

Staff were told last Thursday that they were being made redundant with immediate effect and all the charity's enterprises were closed.

Edinburgh Central MSP Sarah Boyack has written to the financial supporters of EUS, including the city council and RBS, in a bid to safeguard some of the services previously operated. She said: "I know from experience of working with EUS the importance of the services they provide to many vulnerable groups in the city.

"It is vital that the gap in services created by EUS's situation is plugged quickly."