Rainy Kitchen – the catering facility at New College – will remain fully operational in the 2015/16 academic year, after funding was obtained from the University of Edinburgh and the School of Divinity.
The catering facility is run by Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA), but was expected to close next academic year due to the fact that it was recording financial losses.
Speaking to The Student, Tom Kerr, the Convenor for the Divinity School, and a fervent campaigner for Rainy Kitchen’s continued existence, said: “I am delighted that the Senior Management Team at the University accept the importance that Rainy Kitchen holds for students.”
“We have fought hard to retain this resource and it is excellent news that it will continue into the next academic year – I would like to thank the many students who have supported me in this struggle.”
A motion requesting EUSA to attempt to secure the future of the facility was passed at a Student Council meeting in October 2014, but with a lack of funding available, Kerr admitted that the kitchen’s future “looked bleak”.
However, on January 26, Kerr invited Deputy Secretary of the University of Edinburgh’s Student Experience Project, Gavin Douglas, to visit the Divinity School Council and hear students’ views on the importance of the catering facility.
An email explaining that the kitchen would remain open in 2015-16 was then sent to all Divinity School Students on February 13.