The Scottish Youth Hostel Association took the decision to close Coldingham Youth Hostel in September last year but this was a course of action which angered many locals. As a result of the closure the Coldingham Sands Community Company was set up and they have since set their sights on purchasing the building with a view to re-opening it as soon as possible.
The Association originally put a block on any bookings being made after the end of the 2007 season although the hostel has been partially open for group bookings since April.
A public meeting was organised by the Community Company last week and a number of matters were discussed. The Company have recently been given £10,000 by the Big Lottery Fund to come up with a business case and have linked up with property management company Edwin Thompson to do this.
The case looks at different designs and models for the hostel and once this is submitted, the Community Company can get the ball rolling on raising £25,000 by the end of the year, after being offered a further grant by the Big Lottery Fund to help with the purchase of the building.
Chair of the Coldingham Sands Community Company, Ged Hearn said it was great that things are moving along quickly but said it was vital that local residents continue to give their backing.
"The fact that the Association decided to open the hostel for group bookings again was a little victory in its own right although groups are having to rent out the whole thing or nothing," said Mr Hearn.
"The clock is ticking on the process now and we only have till the end of the year to have everything finalised. Through working with Edwin Thompson we have come up with three options for the hostel, each in a different price range.
"We know the fabric of the building needs a lot of work. We'd also like to have most of the rooms en suite. One of the options we have considered will allow this to be done as well as substantial development both internally and externally. However, with the timescale we're working with we're being pulled towards the option of buying the hostel and then improving things as we go along.
"The Big Lottery Fund have been extremely helpful and have told us they'll give us 95 per cent of the purchase cost, which is estimated at around £500,000. So what we have to do is raise £25,000 through locally run fundraising. We're now going into a big fundraising drive, contacting local businesses and planning a number of events."
The Youth Hostel was built at the turn of the 20th century and was run as a convelescent home until just after the war. It's then owners, the Home-Robertson's sold the building to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association and ever since hundreds of thousand of people have passed through on their travels.
Forty people attended the meeting last week and with public support vital for the outcome of the Community Company's efforts, Ged hopes that everyone will get behind their bid to buy the hostel.
"Since the hostel closed businesses in the village have noticed a massive drop in trade- having the occasional group booking at weekends has made little difference. Having the hostel up and running again would be a major result for Coldingham. Aside of farming, tourism is the biggest industry in the area. We're highly confident that we can raise the money- we just need the community on board."