Tongue community to look into feasibility of buying historic St Andrew’s Church
A small north coast community is set to consider the possibility of buying their historic local church, which dates back to the 17th century.
St Andrews Church in Tongue is set to be put on the market by the Church of Scotland, which has reviewed its property portfolio in light of shrinking congregations.
A community meeting was held on Saturday, August 2, to discuss the future of the Category A Listed building.
Jonathan Straw, who helped organise the event, said that the church had played a significant role in the history and heritage of both the village and also of the Clan Mackay.
He said: “The meeting gave local people the opportunity to hear about the background to the Church of Scotland's decision to sell the church, the known and unknown challenges and the liability of taking on the building, and to have their say about its future.”
There was unanimous support for exploring the feasibility of a community buyout, and a working group was formed.
The group has been tasked with finding out whether it would be viable for the community to purchase, maintain, and run the building.
Mr Straw said: “The group’s work will include commissioning a building condition survey to determine the maintenance costs, identifying potential sources of funding, and exploring ways to generate an income stream, as well as assessing the likely running costs.
“The working group has been asked to report back at a further public meeting in the autumn, when its findings will help inform a final decision on whether or not to proceed with a community purchase of the building.”