A Dundee church will temporarily transform into a refuge centre later this month to shelter those forced to leave their homes on the day the Hilltown multis are levelled.
Clepington and Fairmuir Church is inviting residents to stay for a few hours while demolition teams turn all four of the Hilltown tower blocks into rubble.
The towering structures, which have dominated the city’s skyline since they were built in the 1960s, are set to fall on Sunday, July 31. This will force nearby residents and businesses to evacuate the area.
The recently installed minister at the Clepington Road church, the Rev Tony Thornthwaite, said refreshments and toys for children would be laid on.
He went on to explain how the idea came about.
“After a cup of tea with members of the congregation it came up in conversation that people who would have to leave their homes while the demolition took place,” he said. “So we thought of opening up the church to give people a place to go until they could return.”
With the demolition scheduled for a Sunday, Mr Thornthwaite decided to delay his weekly service by a few hours until stranded residents could return home.
“I am thinking about calling it the ‘big bang’ service,” he said. “The idea is to open up at around 9am until 2pm, when I believe people are allowed to return home.
“I am looking forward to the demolition. I haven’t seen anything like that before so it should be interesting.”