THE final funding hurdle to see a community education centre built within an historic walled garden has been overcome.

Earlier this month, Amisfield Preservation Trust was awarded almost £50,000 from Viridor Credits Environmental Company, through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.

The group already has planning permission – given in August – to create an education centre and a shop within Amisfield Walled Garden, on the outskirts of Haddington.

Now, Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership has awarded more money to the group – which now has all the money required to create the facility.

Kate Rycroft, chairwoman of the Amisfield Preservation Trust, was thrilled, saying: “This completes the funding we need to put the building up, so we are delighted.”

The Amisfield Preservation Trust was formed in 1999. In 2012, it was granted a 99-year lease on the walled garden and surrounding area from the current owners, East Lothian Council, on condition the garden is developed as a community resource.

Volunteers will work with a local builder to create the new building using recycled materials from a former visitor centre at Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. The new building, measuring 14m by 6m, will be of modern design with vertical timber cladding and profiled steel roof.

The interior space will have a flexible layout to provide room for training courses, meetings and shelter for garden volunteers and the increasing numbers of schools and other groups using the garden for education and leisure activities.

A spokesman for the area partnership told the Courier: “The area partnership agreed to provide £5,064.38 to the Amisfield Preservation Trust to fund the third-party contribution required to release £49,722 in funding the trust was recently awarded by Viridor Credits Environmental Company to erect a high-quality timber building to provide flexible space for volunteers and visitors.

“The project is due to commence in March and to complete in August.

“Planning permission has been secured and work continues to secure the necessary building warrants.”