A former charity director has apologised to the people of Congleton, saying a “hugely costly mistake” had been made by the board in controlling its finances.
Had the “mistake” been identified earlier, Eddy Bainbridge said a “robust plan” could have been made to save The Old Saw Mill on Back River Street, where the doors closed for the final time in December.
He has called for the current board members to apologise for the “poor handling of the building closure process, which left many people angry, confused and upset”.
As previously reported, chair Peter Aston said he had done “everything mortally possible” to avoid the closure, but said rising costs, energy bills and a lack of grant funding had made it “impossible” to continue to run the non-profit organisation in its current form.
But former secretary Peter Ranson quit the board in October when he was first told about the plans and later said “not enough effort” had been made to save it.
The charity has continued to run its lunch club, which provides meals for vulnerable people, from Congleton Town Hall, but community groups which previously met at its Back River Street premises have been forced to find new homes.
Equipment used to make apple juice – one of the charity’s main sources of income before the closure – has now been moved into storage.
In a letter to the “Chronicle” Mr Bainbridge, a former volunteer director at The Old Saw Mill, said: “I want to apologise to the members, volunteers and users of this organisation for my role in recent events that led to the closure of the building and café on Back River Street.
“What went wrong? In simple terms, the board made a hugely costly mistake with controlling costs. The recently appointed chief executive officer identified this mistake.
“I and other board members should have spotted this problem far earlier, as we had investigated our costs and income.”
After resigning from the board, he felt the direction the organisation had taken had left Congleton “with a lot to be concerned about”.
He said: “Had the mistake been identified earlier we may have been able to formulate a robust plan for the future.
“Unfortunately, what ensued was chaotic and undemocratic. I had alternative proposals, as did other board members, but I failed to persuade anyone of my ideas. I should have tried harder.”
Mr Bainbridge said he had learned a lot from the experience, and accepted that the closure of the community benefit society’s premises had been “disastrous” for some of its users and volunteers.
He said: “I hope Congleton can accept all the directors were and still are volunteers. We messed up. I am very sorry.
“I am trying to be accountable for my actions, but I believe Congleton is entitled to be disappointed and expect accountability from the current board about what transpired.”
Referring to grants received from the National Lottery Fund and Cheshire East Council, he said: “From the outside, it is very difficult to see justification for continued use of these public funds, when their investment was based on a bustling community asset that no longer exists.
“I would say directly to the current board that they need to apologise and explain their mistakes. They need to apologise for the poor handling of the building closure process, which left many people angry, confused and upset.
“They also need to account to Congleton on how they are spending money and how they will safeguard public monies in the future.”
Mr Bainbridge said he felt that trust would be “essential” for Congleton residents to love The Old Saw Mill in its new form.
He said: “The current board have lost the trust of many caring and willing people, and there isn’t an endless supply of their kind.
“If you examine who is currently on the board, you will see quite how important trust between these individuals and Congleton is for everyone; they are influential people.
“It’s possible to get trust back with some honesty and humility. Then Congleton can look forward to a New Saw Mill with a shared hope.” Mr Aston was asked comment, but told the “Chronicle” that he had already said all he wanted to say.
(Photo: Patti Pinto).
