Kids lose out in Badaguish row

A host of charities, community groups and schools – including many from Badenoch and Strathspey – are set to lose out on fun breaks at a popular outdoor activity centre near Glenmore because of a lease dispute.

The Speyside Trust, based at the Badaguish Outdoor Centre in Aviemore, has so far received some £850,000 from Highland Council for the 25-year lease of four lodges on the site.

It has emerged that the council attempted last year to switch the lease to its wholly-owned leisure subsidiary, High Life Highland, but problems arose.

The Speyside Trust, the charity which runs the centre, has been unwilling to allow the transfer, despite the fact that it will have to pay back around £500,000 of public funding to the local authority in the next few weeks.

One group who have been regular users of the council’s lodges at Badaguish said they were appalled by the situation.

Sally Scott, of the Outsiders – a home educators group – explained: “The lodges are primarily used by schools groups doing outdoor activities.

“The lodge prices

are very affordable to community groups and charities and afford opportunities for these groups to gather.

“Our home educators group have been taking three lodges twice a year for three nights each time for the last seven years. It allows 14-18 families to gather and socialize and for the children to enjoy outdoor activities in the area.

“Home educators tend to be financially strained because one parent is home with the children so for some members of our group this gathering may be their only getaway from home during the year.

“I am appalled by the machinations and behind the scenes nonsense that will remove this opportunity for us and also for all the school kids who will miss out.

“I don’t know much about the Speyside Trust but as a regular visitor I do know they have regularly been unpleasant and unaccommodating to Highland Council’s visiting groups.

“I also know that most of their lodges are often empty when we visit and the site is like a ghost town. If they are supposed to be supporting families with disabilities then why are there rarely any of these people in residence?

“I think it is a poorly run organisation that possibly does not serve its mandate and most certainly does not need to have further accommodation available to rent out at much higher prices than the council charges.

“This is a most unfair situation that is going by largely unnoticed. It will mean there are no more outdoor group holidays for local schools or any of the other charities and community organisations that enjoy Badaguish and no alternative location to support these groups.”

Highland Council has confirmed they will no longer be providing a service at Badaguish. The authority said it had been unable to resolve issues around negotiations of the lease of the lodges with the Speyside Trust.

On termination of the lease, the council said it was hopeful that the remaining funding will allow them to develop alternative outdoor education to meet the needs of schools and youth groups in Highland.

The strath’s four local Highland councillors - Bill Lobban, Gregor Rimell, Jaci Douglas and Dave Fallows - said there were disappointed by the current wrangle.

In a joint statement, they said: “We are fully supportive of the continuing provision of these services within Badenoch and Strathspey - services which have been of huge benefit to the people of the Highlands and are a credit to our hard working staff.

“We remain concerned in respect of the current situation and hope that a satisfactory outcome will be reached.”

The Strathy tried to contact the Speyside Trust but received no response.

Highland Council’s director of care and learning, Mr Bill Alexander, told the “Strathy”: “The council understands and appreciates the frustration experienced by Ms Scott. We have had similar frustrations.“In 2007, with a funding package from various sources, a 25-year lease of four lodges at the Badaguish Outdoor centre was agreed with the Speyside Trust. The purpose was to provide a base within the National Park for children, families, schools and youth groups to experience outdoor education within the council’s area and at low cost.“From the council’s perspective, this arrangement has proved difficult from the outset. We have sought many ways to resolve these difficulties, including the involvement of independent parties, but without success.“In 2011, in the run up to the setting up of High Life Highland, which is the council company with charitable status established to operate its cultural and leisure services, in common with other landlords, the Speyside Trust were asked for permission for a sub-lease to be granted to HLH, so that the council’s interests could continue to be delivered – the Speyside Trust initially indicated that this would be acceptable.“On the formation of HLH, and after the transfer of staff to HLH from the Council, the Speyside Trust unexpectedly refused the sub lease and threatened measures to reclaim its lodges with no payback of public money for unused years of the lease. In order to protect the council’s position and the public funding, a contractual period of notice to relinquish the lease was issued. “In the intervening period, the wording and principle of a sub lease was negotiated and agreed by both parties. However, in September 2014, the Speyside Trust decided not to grant this sublease, and the period of notice runs out on the 6 January 2015, at which time a sum equivalent to the unspent years of the lease is required to be returned to the Highland Council.“The council remains committed to providing outdoor residential opportunities within the National Park and will seek to develop an alternative project to service the needs of children, schools and youth groups. It is unfortunate and regrettable that this has not proved possible with the Speyside Trust.”

Highland Council’s director of care and learning, Mr Bill Alexander, told the “Strathy”: “The council understands and appreciates the frustration experienced by Ms Scott. We have had similar frustrations.

“In 2007, with a funding package from various sources, a 25-year lease of four lodges at the Badaguish Outdoor centre was agreed with the Speyside Trust. The purpose was to provide a base within the National Park for children, families, schools and youth groups to experience outdoor education within the council’s area and at low cost.

“From the council’s perspective, this arrangement has proved difficult from the outset. We have sought many ways to resolve these difficulties, including the involvement of independent parties, but without success.

“In 2011, in the run up to the setting up of High Life Highland, which is the council company with charitable status established to operate its cultural and leisure services, in common with other landlords, the Speyside Trust were asked for permission for a sub-lease to be granted to HLH, so that the council’s interests could continue to be delivered – the Speyside Trust initially indicated that this would be acceptable.

“On the formation of HLH, and after the transfer of staff to HLH from the Council, the Speyside Trust unexpectedly refused the sub lease and threatened measures to reclaim its lodges with no payback of public money for unused years of the lease. In order to protect the council’s position and the public funding, a contractual period of notice to relinquish the lease was issued.

January 2015, at which time a sum equivalent to the unspent years of the lease is required to be returned to the Highland Council.“In the intervening period, the wording and principle of a sub lease was negotiated and agreed by both parties. However, in September 2014, the Speyside Trust decided not to grant this sublease, and the period of notice runs out on the 6

“The council remains committed to providing outdoor residential opportunities within the National Park and will seek to develop an alternative project to service the needs of children, schools and youth groups. It is unfortunate and regrettable that this has not proved possible with the Speyside Trust.”

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