THE multi-million pound campaign to rebuild Glasgow's School of Art has secured just a third of its target, almost exactly a year since it was gutted by fire.
The bid to secure £20million to bring the treasured Charles Rennie Mackintosh building back from the ashes has just £7million banked to date.
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) confirmed the Mackintosh Appeal fund had so far received a £5million UK Government pledge, £1million in public donations and £1million in match funding by the Scottish Government.
The appeal was launched in the days immediately after the blaze, which tore through the original century-old West Wing of the Art School on May 23 last year.
It was launched with the backing of Hollywood star Brad Pitt, who had recently filmed in the city.
But the shortfall has prompted calls for the fund-raising campaign to be stepped up.
Although fully insured, a pay-out will only cover like-for-like repairs, the extra cash required to help upgrade the world-famous building.
A GSA spokesman said: "The fundraising target is £20million and we are still grateful for any donations. Decontamination is still going on in the building to make it safe just now. There will be no building on site until spring 2016.
"It is a huge project and everything will be subject to planning permission from Glasgow City Council and Historic Scotland.
"The insurance will pay for part of it but it will not cover everything we want to do, such as the detailed forensic investigation, installing wi-fi and other retro-fitting improvements. There are a lot of areas where we can do things because we are able to. Things that will be beneficial."
Acclaimed artist and former student Peter Howson said: Given the Art School's standing in the art world I would have thought they would have been able to attract more money than that in the time frame.
"In my opinion, the Government should be paying for the whole thing, if not making a much bigger donation, because of its huge importance."
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