Inspirational team working at the heart of their community
WHEN a community’s heart stops beating, it takes an exceptional bunch of people to kickstart it back to life.
And that’s where Maria, June, Tracy, Amanda, Christian and Marie come in
For the last few years they supported by many more friends and neighbours - have been fighting hard to save the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre, a place of fun, safety and delicious apple crumble on the western edge of Glasgow.
The centre has not been without its troubles in recent decades thanks to financial uncertainty and personnel problems but finally, says chairperson Maria Fletcher, the fog is beginning to lift.
“After a challenging few years, when all we could do was keep looking down to survive, we are finally looking upwards to thrive,” she explains.
“We do so much here at Heart of Scotstoun, with many, many people from across our community benefitting, that we just want to be able to realise the original vision for our centre – to create a safe and welcoming space for people to go.”
As the eighth year of Streets Ahead gets unde rway, supported by our partners Glasgow City Council, City Charitable Trust and City Building, the team at Heart of Scotstoun sum up what our campaign is all about.
The Balmoral Street building is home to a vibrant community café, a large garden complete with mini-allotments, and an array of classes and clubs reaching out to people of all ages.
Run by a board of six, 24 volunteers and five staff, the centre organises weekly food collections, monthly community meals and a senior lunch club, called the Hearties, who turn up every Friday without fail.
Local councillors hold their surgeries here, kinship carers and young parents meet here and the centre’s own clubs – everything from knitting groups to children’s dance – are always busy.
But without core funding – money comes from the café, room hire and fundraising - it is a real challenge to keep everything going, as volunteer Christian O’Neill explains.
“We have a fantastic group of volunteers and lots of support from the local community, but funding is a big issue,” she adds. “We are hoping to recruit more board members, particularly those with business experience, to help us.”
Tracy Young runs the ADHD parent support group at the centre, supporting families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.
“I was a youth worker in Scotstoun until all the facilities were pulled down and replaced with housing,” she says, simply. “We went from having a centre – one of the local primary schools, which has since been demolished – that could take 70 people a night, to a three-roomed house on Dumbarton Road which could barely hold 13.
“We fought hard for 15 years to get this centre built and finally, in 2011, it opened its doors.”
In the kitchen, Marie de Souza is making some of her legendary lentil soup.
“Marie makes the best soup,” nods Tracy, to wholesale agreement around the table. “We’re about to start peeling apples for her crumble – it’s fantastic too.
“Marie is amazing – she is a volunteer, in here six days a week, often from 8am until 6pm, doing a power of work.”
Marie explains: “I love seeing people coming in and using this place. It’s about community, isn’t it?
“Helping people, bringing folk together. I have made such good friends since I started here.”
She adds: “I’ve lived in Scotstoun since I was 14, and I’m 63 now. Yes, the place has changed, but the people haven’t. There’s still a great community here and this place is a bonus.”
Centre manager Amanda Quinn came to Heart of Scotstoun as part of a Climate Challenge project while she was working for a different organisation.
“I never left,” she grins. “I found it amazing – a place driven by great people, for the people in the community who need it most.”
In the garden, retired education lecturer June Mitchell, whose mum lives across the road, is keeping an eye on the vast bank of fruit trees which edge the centre car park.
“We have apples, pears and plums,” she smiles. “It’s been a good crop this year.”
The garden is also home to a sensory area – wispy, whispery grasses for texture and sound; lemon and lavender for smell; herbs for taste – plus play areas and mini-allotments for local growers and gardeners.
June and the team have big
plans for the garden, which is much loved by the centre users.
“I love volunteering here, and I’ve been overwhelmed by how much the community is really pulling together and putting so much into this place,” she smiles.
“What’s not great about creating a space for the whole community to enjoy?”
Tracy agrees. “The people of Scotstoun are very resilient,” she says. “But we lost so much when our community services closed down.
“Barriers went up and it caused division. Things are changing now, because of this place.”
Chairperson Maria knows many challenges lie ahead but she – and the rest of the Heart of Scotstoun team – are determined to face them head on.
“Scotstoun is a tough nut to crack,” she says, slowly.
“There are richer areas, poorer areas, commercial parts, industry. It’s hard to generate a heart for a diverse community, but that’s what we plan to do.”