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Angus and Mearns Matters — A little longer for Forfar’s big present

Forfar community campus promises to be a jewel in the town's crown.
Forfar community campus promises to be a jewel in the town's crown.

Merry Christmas, and I hope this finds you free of both a heid-thumping hangover and stappit fu indigestion.

I trust, too, that you have been showered with wonderful gifts and, for those of a similar vintage, have a teenager close at hand to guide you through the programming minefield toward technological nirvana.

But while we’ve had a flood of Christmas comes early delights — including local lass Vikki Heenan’s 250,000 reasons to smile after she beat the banker on a special festive Deal Or No Deal — there’s one Forfar present which the town is going to have to wait a little bit longer to unwrap.

Finishing touches are being put to the sparkling new £38.9 million community campus and it is very much the object of Valentine’s Day desires with a scheduled opening around then.

It’ll bring a new Forfar Academy, swimming pool, sports pitches and a range of community facilities which deserve to be highly popular and packed with bookings.

A similar facility is now part of the fabric of Brechin and got the pre-Christmas thumbs up from education minister John Swinney when he described it as world class.

No wonder — it’s a spectacular, bright and welcoming facility.

It even has a climbing wall just inside the door. That’s quite something for someone whose first school memory is that of a row of pegs outside the door of legendary Letham dominie Dave Dinnie at the village primary. And it was a door you never wanted to be standing outside….

Not everyone is completely over the moon about the knock-on loss of old facilities which naturally follows, but we’re seen the likes of Brechin City Hall thrive under community ownership.

And if the bulldozers have to move in on Lochside leisure centre I doubt many tears will be shed.

Of course, magnificent new buildings have to be paid for from council coffers groaning under budget pressure that is increasing year on year, but if these places become environments where all ages can flourish then that must be a price worth paying.

Just ask those who have benefitted from another Brechin project which also got a government seal of approval just a couple of months ago.

The town’s flood prevention scheme may be £16million worth of bricks and mortar to some, but I’ll wager its worth is much more to the families who slept soundly for Santa’s arrival, even with storm Barbara battering Angus.

A far cry from 12 months ago when Frank’s floodwaters were lapping at their doors as an unwelcome first foot.