Storytelling centre may live happily ever after

CONSULTANTS called in by the cash-strapped Church of Scotland said it should consider closing its Scottish Storytelling Centre in the Royal Mile.

The idea is one of several options listed in a confidential report, obtained by the Evening News, aimed at cutting costs within the Kirk. It said it had "no plans" to close the centre but was engaged in a review to ensure it was "being used in the best way possible".

The world's first purpose-built centre for storytelling officially opened in June 2006 at a cost of 3.5 million, including a contribution of 1.3m from National Lottery funds. But a report commissioned by the Kirk from Edinburgh-based consultants Eglinton said the "business and mission case" for retaining the centre was "weak".

Options proposed in the report include closing the centre and disposing of the building; selling the building and renting space within it; or relocating staff from Kirk headquarters to the centre.

The consultants said: "The centre is not in any sense financially profitable and has produced a considerable loss in recent years.

"The contributions from the various operating units – facilities, cafe, and bookshop – are insufficient to achieve anything like full cost recovery and there is little likelihood of this being achieved in the near future."

But a Kirk source said there was no way the centre would close. "They don't seem to realise that if the centre was sold, the Church would have to hand back about 1.5m of grants received for the project," the source said.

The source said the subsidy for the centre had been 150,000 a year when it first opened, but that had now been reduced to 110,000 and was expected to be around 85,000 next year.

"They were given a budget to run the place by the Church and they have never exceeded that budget."

The Rev Mark Johnstone, convener of the Kirk's mission and discipleship council, said: "The council is doing some further work with staff and stakeholders at the Scottish Storytelling Centre to ensure the centre has a viable and sustainable future."

Dr Donald Smith, director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, said: "We are fully aware of the challenges facing the Church of Scotland and many of our other funders and we are working very hard to help meet those challenges."

FIGHT FOR ST ANDREW PRESS IS LOST

THE General Assembly gave the go-ahead for a controversial slimming down of the Saint Andrew Press, which some say means the effective closure of the Kirk's publishing arm.

It will operate with just one member of staff and concentrate on materials for internal use.

Professor David Fergusson, principal of Edinburgh's New College, argued against the move, saying the Saint Andrew Press was an asset for the church.

But the Rev Mark Johnstone, convener of the mission and discipleship council, said the press had cost the church over 600,000 over the past five years. The Assembly voted 274-178 to approve the slimming down.