Locals are rallying behind a plan to keep Kirriemuir’s rare Camera Obscura open for visitors.
Gifted to the town by Peter Pan creator Sir JM Barrie, the attraction at The Hill is under threat after Angus Council decided to withdraw five-figure funding paid to the National Trust for Scotland for its management.
NTS officials have described the budget- pressure decision, which ends an arrangement that has been in place since 1999, as “disappointing”.
Now a new community body has been formed under the banner of Kirriemuir Regeneration Group with the aim of working with other organisations to secure the attraction’s future for the long term.
The group’s ambitions also include making more use of the cricket pavilion which is home to the camera obscura and was opened in 1930.
With the assistance of the area partnership, the group is now planning to draw up a proposal to take to the council which would include an interim service level agreement.
“The council is responsible for keeping the building wind and watertight and we want to agree with them that they will continue to be responsible for that in the interim, with a view to a community asset transfer so it will be back in the hands of the people of Kirriemuir,” said Irena Krasinska- Lobban of the group.