Scottish Catholic Observer

The centre, which is also a conference venue, last year posted a loss of £48,000. It employs 12 staff.
“This is sad day for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh and especially for all those who work at the Gillis Centre,” Alastair Lamond of the archdiocese’s board of trustees, said. “The very regrettable reality is that the Gillis Centre is running at a loss and, after considering all our options based upon the best of professional advice, the trustees of the archdiocese have reluctantly decided that the centre should cease trading as of later this year.
The Gillis Centre, which is located within the former St Margaret’s Convent School building, was established in 1993. Late last year the trustees of the archdiocese asked an independent firm of accountants who specialise in the UK charity sector to undertake a financial controls and procedures review of the Gillis Centre operation.
The trustees then established a sub-group to explore the issues raised by the accountancy firm’s findings. The result was a proposal to close the Gillis Centre by November 2017.
The archdiocese will now begin a period of consultation with all those employed at the centre with alternative employment an option for some staff. They were the first to be informed of the trustees’ decision.
“The archdiocese has been very blessed to have many dedicated individuals working within the Gillis Centre over the past 24 years which makes today’s decision all the more sad,” Mr Lamond said.
The Gillis Centre building will remain the administrative headquarters of St Andrews & Edinburgh Archdiocese as well as the premises of McNaughton PhysioGrange, a physiotherapy practice which leases office space within the Gillis Centre building.