The Scotstoun community recently celebrated the official handover of the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre from Glasgow Eco Trust to Heart of Scotstoun Ltd. The event, which took place at the Centre, was a great day celebrating the tenacity and perseverance of the local community.

The campaign for a community Centre for Scotstoun started in the late 1990s after the closure of the Victoria Drive Secondary School. Glasgow Eco Trust (formerly Dumbarton Road Corridor Environment Trust) took on the capital build project in 2004 and spent 5 years securing the necessary funding to complete the building. The ground breaking ceremony took place in late 2009 and the building was completed in early 2011.

The Centre was built with funding from a range of organisations including Glasgow City Council, the National Lottery Community Fund and the Scottish Government [3]. Heart of Scotstoun Ltd have run the Centre since it opened. The first official event for the Centre was to open as a Polling Station for the election in May 2011 and it will once again fulfill that role for the forthcoming local Council elections on Thursday 5 May.

Today the thriving Community Centre offers a wide range of activities and services to the local community including:

• Activity programme - a wide-ranging programme for all ages including the DRC Youth Project, karate, pilates, health walks, yoga, playdates, dance, quilting and much, much more
• Cherry Tree Cafe - a great wee community cafe offering healthy and affordable food to sit in and take away
• Food Store - the community food store provides affordable food to local people and is supported by FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland
• Community garden - the community space has been transformed by local volunteers into an outdoor space open to the Scotstoun community to enjoy tranquil and beautiful surroundings. The garden will be taking part in Scotland’s Garden Scheme in May [4]

Tam Munro, Glasgow Eco Trust Chairperson, said, “We are delighted to have reached this fantastic milestone for the Scotstoun community as they take full ownership of the Centre, which is very much at the heart of the community. I would like to thank all the funders that contributed to the project in particular Glasgow City Council and the National Lottery Community Fund. I would also like to thank Brian Clarke from Park Lane Developments and I would like to wish Heart of Scotstoun all the best for the future.”

We are delighted to have reached this fantastic milestone for the Scotstoun community as they take full ownership of the Centre, which is very much at the heart of the community

Jodie Gillespie, Heart of Scotstoun Chairperson, said, “On behalf of the Heart of Scotstoun board I would like to thank everyone that has contributed in so many ways to get us to this point. This is an historic day for Scotstoun. We would also like to thank Glasgow Eco Trust for their perseverance and patience with this project.”

Neil Lovelock, Glasgow Eco Trust Project Manager, said, “This day has been a long time coming and the completion of the transfer will allow us to focus on creating more community connections for climate action and to continue to make a difference for people, place and planet. We still have our office at the Centre and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Heart of Scotstoun and the local community.”

Amanda Quinn, Heart of Scotstoun Manager, said, “We are absolutely delighted to finally take ownership of the Centre and we look forward to going from strength to strength and continuing to offer a safe space for the local community to continue to thrive and grow. I’d like to thank everyone that uses the Centre and supports the Centre - we couldn’t do what we do without that support.”

Marie De Souza, a local resident who was part of the original group of local people to campaign for a new Centre and who is a volunteer and trustee at Heart of Scotstoun said, “I have been waiting for this day for nearly 25 years ever since the Victoria Drive Secondary school closed. We are thankful to many, many people some of whom are no longer with us including Paul Gray and Ken Rolwegan, who made significant contributions to this hard fought success.”

The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still said: “Congratulations on reaching this milestone, we know how much work everyone has put into getting to this point. The past two years have shown us all the importance of vibrant, active community spaces in strengthening community and tackling isolation. Spaces such as these truly are the beating heart of their communities, and we wish both organisations all the best for the future.”

Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre is located at 64 Balmoral Street, Glasgow G14 0BL between Dumbarton Road and South Street and Glasgow Eco Trust are based at the Centre.

The past two years have shown us all the importance of vibrant, active community spaces in strengthening community and tackling isolation.