A SOCIAL enterprise which promotes parental mental health and wellbeing is on the lookout for a home in the Wee County.

The popular and family friendly Playpen Café CIC is hoping to secure a premises in Clacks after owners were sadly compelled to walk away from plans to lease a vacant Kincardine building.

Playpen ran successful pop up events in Alloa and at Crook of Devon over the past couple of years and there were hopes for the café to move into the former Co-op building in Kincardine, ensuring them a fixed venue for the first time.

Alexandra Ostroumoff-Croucher, CEO at Playpen, had spent the last year on the challenging development, with the building identified as needing vital attention in the Go Forth Kincardine design charrette after the closure of the Longannet power plant.

However, and despite grant money pledged by a number of funders, it was revealed at a late stage that the building had dangerous and unmanageable levels of asbestos, inside repair costs mounting to £200,000.

Alexandra said: “We are heartbroken, after working on this project site for over a year, not to be creating our family hub as planned.

“We hope something positive for the community of Kincardine can happen with this vital space soon and meanwhile we are desperate to find an alternative space.”

Negotiations on structural repairs are understood to have been complex and tense, the asbestos issue ultimately resulting in Playpen having to refocus efforts on finding an alternative.

Alexandra added: “Unfortunately the owner was not prepared to invest the necessary additional funds to make the building safe and useable for the community leaving us no option but to walk away after months of fundraising, community engagement and working with Fife Council who were very excited about our project.”

However, the Playpen team is actively on the lookout for a space locally and will be meeting with Anthea Coulter, chief officer at CTSi.

Anthea said: “The Playpen is a wonderful developing social enterprise that supported around 20 young people, some with significant barriers during CTSi’s Lego Exhibition in summer 2018.

“Its founder Alexandra has gone on from strength to strength to develop her vision to provide an inclusive family service both as a pop-up and in a permanent venue that reduces isolation for parents, but also delivers benefits to people needing to build confidence in a meaningful setting.

“We hope that we can help her find a special space in Clacks to achieve that.”

Anyone who owns or knows a building that may be suitable for the Playpen can message the café’s Facebook page.