One of the youth hostels in the Scottish Borders threatened with closure has been saved and will be run by a charity with experience in hostel management. Kirk Yetholm hostel which sits on the St Cuthbert’s Way and at the end of the Pennine Way had been earmarked for closure by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA) alongside hostels in Melrose and Selkirk.
The local community had expressed fears about loss of tourism and visitors to the area when the closure plans were announced. Responding to the news that one of the three endangered hostels would remain open, Borders MP Michael Moore said, “It is fantastic news that the hostel at Kirk Yetholm has been retained and I welcome the hard work and efforts of Friends of Nature and SYHA to make this happen.
“It was extremely disappointing last year to hear that all three Borders youth hostels were set for closure and I have worked closely with the CEO of SYHA ever since to discuss possible alternatives.
“Here in the Borders, we have so much to offer tourists and saving the hostel at Yetholm will provide a boost to the area.”
SYHA chief executive Keith Legge also commented, “This is an excellent outcome for the community and is what we have been endeavouring to achieve in retaining accommodation for budget travellers in the Borders through our affiliate programme.”