The decision to close St Drostan's has already been made. The only way to get the decision reversed is to prove that the consequences of keeping the home open will be very much more satisfactory for all concerned than those resulting from closing it.
A small amount of resistance will have been anticipated: a large amount will not. We need to harness the feelings of everybody interested in the campaign to generate sufficient public pressure to make the alternative, leaving the home open, and improving the structure of the fabric, the only acceptable course.
We need to influence local politicians. Remember: they need our votes, and elections are coming soon. If they fail to support us it is important that voters be reminded of their actions at election time.
Further information will be added to the site from time to time, so please revisit. If you have relevant material in electronic form, please e-mail it to me and I will post it on the site.
A public meeting organised by the Save St Drostan's Committee, to discuss the campaign, was held on Wednesday 5th July 2006 in the Village Hall in Mintlaw. Some of those responsible for recommending the closure were invited to attend but no councillors representing the Social Work and Housing Committee were present. The decision to close St Drostan's was defended by Mr Colin Mackenzie, Director of Social Work, Aberdeenshire Council. About 140 members of the public attended, with standing room only, indicating the degree of public interest. Look out for commentary on the meeting, which appears in the Comments section (See below), specifically in the comments published on Thursday 13th July last, Saturday 9th July last, and Thursday 6th July last.
Posters have been prepared to advertise the campaign. They have been prepared in two formats: landscape and portrait. Please download a poster, print as many copies of it as you like and get them displayed as widely as possible.