Hopes high that Embo Old School cafe will reopen by July 1
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A CAFE in a small East Sutherland seaside village could reopen shortly under new operators.
The cafe at the community owned Old School, Embo, has been closed since previous operators Farmer Jones Academy, who ran it as a training facility, moved to a new venue in Tain last year.
But it has been revealed that Embo Trust (Urras Euraboll) , which runs the building, is poised to sign a lease with a new caterer.
Trust secretary Jim McGillivray, an Embo resident and councillor for the East Sutherland and Edderton Ward, said yesterday: “We hope to have an agreement soon - the lease is being finalised.
“It is positive, as long as it all works out to plan and it would be nice to see the cafe open by July 1 in order to catch as much of the summer trade as possible.”
Embo Trust took over ownership of the former village primary school, built in the mid 1800s - from Highland Council in 2012.
The organisation was awarded nearly £1 million from the Big Lottery Scotland in 2016 towards converting the historic building into a community centre.
The aim was to provide a focal point for the community as well as create local employment and volunteering opportunities.
Until last year an income stream was generated from a number of businesses operating out of the property including a community shop, outreach post office and the training cafe.
However each of the businesses have vacated the premises over time, leaving Embo Trust struggling to keep the building afloat financially.
Cllr McGillivray acknowledged the importance of the cafe becoming operational to the future of the building.
“If we do not get this confirmed, the image of the Falls of Shin Visitor Centre is very close to my mind,” he said, referring to the similarly community owned centre which has been put on the market after managers failed to find an operator.
Cllr McGillivray continued: “It is a matter of covering costs as quickly and as much as possible, but Embo is in a unique situation on the East Coast in that it does not have access to any substantial Common Good or wind farm funds, apart from a trickle coming in from Beinn Tharsuinn Wind Farm.
"So it has to survive on its own meagre proceeds and that makes it very difficult to try and keep a community facility running.
“Obviously it would help substantially if the plans for a new golf course at Coul Links (near Embo) got the go-ahead. The community benefit from that development would open up a new era for the village.”
It is understood the new cafe tenant would operate year-round.
