Now we are through the festive season, we would like to provide an update on progress to date. Since getting the keys to the hotel in December, the steering committee have been working very hard towards reopening the establishment as soon as possible, and still hope that this will be possible in a staged manner beginning late February, early March

Essential repairs and a deep clean have been commissioned and the building is being monitored regularly. We have further plans including a complete refurbishment of the top floor staff accommodation, including a new fire escape at the back of the building. Plans have been drawn up and we are already talking to builders to estimate for the work. A more general refurbishment is also in hand.

With regard to staff appointments, we are at an advanced stage in the process to appoint a new general manager, and once they are in place we should see further appointments with the opportunity for local employment.

Very shortly, the day to day management of the new Lochranza Country Inn will become the responsibility of the Lochranza Community Inn Ltd. As we always said, the inn will be run by a separate subsidiary company, although the North Arran Community Benefit Society will remain owners of the building and will have an ongoing interest in refurbishment and maintenance. The new country inn board will comprise of a chairman from the community, the general manager, a representative of the NACBS board, a non executive director with a finance background and two elected representatives from the community. Arran Accountants in Brodick, will provide the financial control and bookkeeping function. The role of elected representatives should not be particularly time consuming,  but does give people in the community the opportunity to be part of the decision making process about how the inn should function and be run for the benefit of the community. There have been many views expressed about this issue, so why not consider putting yourself forward for these positions? In the event of more than two candidates we would require to have an election process.

To assist the Lochranza Country Inn board we hope shortly to appoint a development officer to guide the progress of making the business a success. They will be responsible for monitoring and driving the refurbishment program, as well as marketing the business and ensuring it delivers on providing the promised community hub. A job description has been approved and the position advertised. Anyone interested in this position should contact the secretary at the address below for further details.

We hope the transition of the hotel to the new company will allow NACBS to move on to other important issues such as housing, a winter ferry service, and other areas of interest including further fund raising for community projects. To this end, we are holding a public meeting at Pirnmill Village Hall at 6pm on the 18^th of January to further inform local residents, address any concerns, and seek their views on the way forward. We hope to repeat this process in Lochranza in early February, when we should have much more to report.

Finally, we would like to thank you for your continued support. With it, we have already achieved a great deal, but it is your community not ours, and we must have your views, participation and support to continue to progress a secure and prosperous future for the Northend of Arran.  Share applications continue to arrive,  and we have decided to keep the application process open. Every little helps, so if you have not contributed, or just not got round to it, why not consider investing now and making a real difference to the success of the project. Application forms are available from the website or secretary.

Web : www nacbs.co.uk    Email : secretary@nacbs.co.uk

Hi all, our bank has informed us that they are unable to accept cheques written out to NACBS as payee and have to be written in full i.e.: North Arran Community Benefit Society Ltd. We are in process of trying to change the website accordingly but this may take some time.

Meanwhile, if you do wish to buy shares, (the share offer is still open), and wish to do so by cheque please would you make them out to the North Arran Community Benefit Society Ltd.

If you have already sent a cheque, have no fear. If the bank has rejected it, our Secretary will get in touch with you provided that you have also completed the Application Form. If you have not completed a form yet and therefore, we have no knowledge of how to contact you, please contact us at secretary@NACBS.co.UK.

We do apologise for this inconvenience and wish you a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas to all. We hope you have had lots of presents.

On Thursday the 22ⁿᵈ of December, following the completion of the legalities, the ownership of the
Lochranza Hotel transferred to the community. The NACBS collected the keys from George, who has
been really great in providing information on providers, paperwork, how things work and what needs
to be done to keep the place from deteriorating while it is still empty.

Meanwhile, following the advertising for the position of Inn Manager, we have started interviewing
potential candidates and hope to have a shortlist soon. Once the Manager is appointed, recruitment
for the other positions, training and preparation for opening can proceed.

We are very grateful to all of you who are supporting the NACBS by becoming members and buying
shares. This is absolutely key for not only determining how soon the Lochranza Country Inn will
open but also is vital for the NACBS to secure grants which require matched funding.

In addition to the Scottish Land Fund grant which enabled us to purchase the Hotel and fund hiring
of a Development Officer, the NACBS has been offered a grant from the Community Ownership Fund of
£300,000 which requires matched funding. This grant is also restricted with
£250,000 of capital spend for the refurbishment of the hotel and £50,000 of expenses all to be
spent during 2023. We are getting further details and clarification in the beginning of January.

Although, it looks as if the Society has more money than we expected, because of the restrictions
we have still not reached the target needed for our working capital for an early opening. For this
reason, as stated in our last news update, we are keeping the share offer open at least until we
have reached our target of £110,000. So if you have not bought any Contributor Shares or wish to
purchase a few more please do consider it.

Thank you and have a Happy New Year.

The NACBS now has charitable status under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. This required a slight change to our rules which have now been approved by the FCA
Our Share Offer Document has been recommended for approval for the award of the Community Shares Standards Mark. This has involved certain changes to the Business Plan and the Share Offer Document.
On Tuesday 8th of November, the share offer was launched at an open day at Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall and many of you dropped in to pick up the Share Offer Document and pay your Community Member fee of £1 and apply for some Contributor Shares. We have now registered 44 Community Members to date.
We are holding back on sending out Contributor Share Certificates until we hear about the grant situation. Their decision on this is imminent.
As a result, of some of the changes we have put up the latest versions of the Rules of the Society, Business Plan and Share Offer Document. None of these changes impact those of you who have already applied but you may wish to read the latest documents.
Thank you for your support.