Delighted Cambuslang parents are finally set to receive a refund for a school trip - after nearly nine months of waiting.
Children at St Bride’s were supposed to go on an end of term trip to the Dalguise adventure centre in Perthshire, but the onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced the weekend break, for P7 pupils, to be scrapped.
The Reformer told in September how parents had grown increasingly frustrated waiting for the £175 refund, with questions to both the school and to South Lanarkshire Council regularly going unanswered.
The local authority stated the issues were due to a hold up with the insurance company regarding paying out for the cancellation.
However parents were finally informed earlier this week that the matter was settled and that they should have their money back before Christmas.
Lesley McEwan, whose son Aaron attended St Bride’s and was among those going on the trip, said: “We got an email about it this morning (Tuesday).
“It’s a relief to be honest, because it was dragging on for so long.
“We’d had so many messages not answered about what was happening that you end up surprised when someone actually gets back to you.
"It really did feel that they were dragging their heels over it all.
“With everything going on with the coronavirus, you have parents not working or on furlough, and it means that the money you’re waiting on becomes more important.
“With the kids all having left the school now it did feel they were being forgotten about.”
The message to parents states that the money will be sent back to St Bride’s in due course, and onto the parents after that.
The trip would have seen the pupils experience activities like abseiling, canoeing, a zip wire and raft building at the adventure centre.
Lynn Sherry, Head of Education at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “We do appreciate the patience of all of the parents involved in this.”
