Oban is known as the “Gateway to the Isles” but as Grace Mitchell from Oban Communities Trust explains, the town could be more of a tourist attraction in its own right.
“We’re a new group that formed in July this year (2014) when we learned that the council were considering selling off a surplus primary school to a housing association for £1. They want to demolish the school and build flats but the property is in the centre of Oban and could be a great community asset.
Now we’re trying to raise awareness and generate interest in the project. Our community radio station has already said they would like to re-locate there. The Youth Arts project are also keen to move in, as is a charitable trust that upscales donated furniture and sells it on.
It would be the perfect location for a genealogy centre, which would be a great attraction for the thousands of tourists who come to Oban every year to take ferries to the islands, but currently have little reason to linger in the town.
And there could be space for business development units for graduates from the Scottish Marine College. One of the ways we’re going to raise awareness for the project is to ask former pupils of the school to share their memories of their time there.”