£160,000 down the drain if centre closure goes ahead

Volunteers, action group members and politicians trying to save the centre said it provided another compelling reason for the organisation to reconsider the move, which would come only three years after it opened.

The Scottish Government handed the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) - which runs ChildLine - more than 300,000 to open the base on Thistle Street.

Of that, 160,000 was invested in training around 100 Lothians volunteers to deal with calls from some of society's most vulnerable youngsters.

But now the office is to close, those individuals have been told if they want to continue with ChildLine they will have to commute to Glasgow or Aberdeen.

Charity officials told volunteers, and several paid staff, of the decision earlier in the summer.

The ChildLine Edinburgh Action Group was soon formed to lobby MSPs and executives at the NSPCC.

One member, Roger Davidson, an emeritus professor of social history at Edinburgh University, said: "There is a real sense of regret and frustration among the staff.

"The charity wants to be part of a support system in society for children, then decides to close the only office in Scotland's capital city."

Children's minister Angela Constance has written to the organisation expressing her disappointment at the closure, while more than 40 MSPs have signed a motion urging the NSPCC to reconsider.

Edinburgh Southern MSP Jim Eadie said: "It's completely unacceptable to expect Edinburgh volunteers to relocate to Glasgow or Aberdeen.

"The NSPCC must be held to account for the funding decision taken given the substantial amounts of public money provided.

"I call on the NSPCC to re-open the consultation to allow for alternatives to closure to be explored."

Support for the campaign will also be taken to Westminster by city MP Ian Murray.

He said: "I went to visit ChildLine on Friday and senior officers tried valiantly to say the closure was to improve the service. I am not quite convinced by this. It is an excellent service, but the loss of the 100 volunteers is a big blow.

"The important point to make is that we mustn't do anything to jeopardise the confidence that children have in phoning Childline."

Head of ChildLine in Scotland Elaine Chalmers said around 20 per cent of the city volunteers had expressed an interest in helping at the Glasgow base.

She added: "Volunteers retain the skills and attributes they gain from training and take that into the wider community, it is therefore never a waste of resources."