CARDENDEN After School Club will remain open until the summer holidays at least.

Parents of children using the facility at Cardenden Primary School thought that they were going to lose the facility within a matter of weeks.

However, local councillor Linda Erskine, chair of Cowdenbeath Area Committee, met with

I met with joint leaders, officers and spokesperson for Education at 9 this morning. Education has identified that there were a number of school clubs which were not sustainable in terms of existing numbers. They proposed that children could be bussed to Lochgelly however I did not agree that this was suitable for the Cardenden Area. I also expressed concerns that the after school club in Cardenden hadn’t been given time to bed down and grow as is had only been running since last Easter.

After a lengthy discussion we agreed that the existing arrangements will continue till at least the end of June, meanwhile Education will work with parents keeping them informed of any potential changes that may need to be considered for the term beginning August. We discussed the importance of ensuring provision for the families in the Cardenden area and long term the development of affordable and sustainable an after school child care strategy which ideally would be run by the voluntary sector and with local parents at the centre of the project.

I would urge more parents to utilise the present club in Cardenden to ensure that we can continue to provide a service to allow parents to work and study at affordable rates.