More than 1,500 people back campaign to save Eye Community Centre from closure

Hundreds of people have backed a campaign to save a Peterborough community centre which is at risk of closing.

The Old Girls School, a historic building in Eye Conservation Area has been used as a Youth Centre and Library for 61 years – but it has been named as a site which could be closed by the council as part of money saving measures.

Following the news the centre was under threat, Dale McKean and Lilian Muxlow started a campaign and petition to save the facility – and that campaign has received the backing of scores of villagers.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow has also signed the petition.

In total, 1,517 signatures have been collected on the petition, and Dale will present it at the Full Council meeting at Peterborough Town Hall on January 24.

What the petition says:

The petition states:

We call on the Council to not close Eye Youth Centre Building and use the grants available from the Governments £75M fund for Youth Clubs and Buildings Renovation to upgrade the building in time for the Councils reopening of Senior Youth Club by 2025.

And for the continuation of the current Junior Youth Club, Brownies, Rainbows and Girl Guides use of the building along with the Library.

Council officers visit centre

After meeting with council leader Cllr Mohammed Farooq and deputy leader cllr John Howard, Dale and Lilian showed cllr Howard and officers round the centre earlier this month, highlighting issues preventing groups moving to different buildings.

Lilian who has been working with the Youth in Eye Village for over 40 years and has been running the Junior Youth Club on a voluntary basis for the last 18 years, said. "I have been contacted by so many previous youth members saying how important the Youth Club was for them and how much they enjoyed it and so many now have their children going to it and how much fun they have.”

After next week’s full council meeting, the future of Eye Community Centre – and other sites – will be discussed at a scrutiny meeting on January 30