Can’t wait to be able to thrive again
A Stirling community hall whose busy schedule was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, is hoping 2021 brings more opportunity to showcase what is has to offer.
Braehead Community Project (Crawford Hall) is a registered charity run by a group of dedicated volunteers.
The centre is normally used seven days a week by a wide range of groups, young and old, catering for an average of 2,500 people per month.
However, after 32 years of constant use, they had to close the doors of the hall on March 13 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
True to form, however, the volunteers have refused to let their community spirit wane.
When they had to close they then registered with Stirling Council Response Group and have been keeping in touch with their user groups and members by phone and also in person to help the most vulnerable.
During the first part of the lockdown they took the opportunity to decorate the inside of the whole centre, do a risk assessment, then do a deep clean and fit hands free sanitisers in order to make the building Covid safe and ready for the time when they would reopen.
In September, they were given the goahead to reopen and a small number of their groups resumed.
But as the guidelines were soon to change once again they unfortunately had to close for a second time.
Dougie and Esther Brown, who manage the day to day running of the centre, have been volunteering in their local community for more than 40 years.
Esther said: “In normal times the centre would be very busy with fundraising activities which help to pay for all our Christmas events, including a Christmas shopping coach trip, children’s Christmas parties with a visit from Santa, adults Christmas dinner dance, special bingo evening and gifts for members.
“The centre also donates to other local groups and organisations and have donated many thousands of pounds over the 32 years.”
Toys and gifts normally donated to the centre’s Christmas prize bingo, however, were instead generously donated to the Stirling Observer’s Give A Gift Appeal.
As well as managing the hall, Dougie and Esther, along with their family, have been actively involved in grassroots football. They ran Braehead FC then had a spell with Milton FC before returning to restart Braehead FC. Presently they have five sections at children, youth and adult level and Braehead FC has more than 20 volunteers helping to make the club the success it is today.
“During lockdown the coaches kept their players busy with ‘online’ drills, competitions and quizzes etc,” said Dougie. “When allowed to meet up again they help a very successful football summer camp. They have been training under non-contact rules within the Covid guidelines, but very soon hope to be back training and competing in matches. We are all now looking forward to some normality,” said Esther, “and hope the centre can also soon welcome back all its groups and hall users where everyone can meet up and enjoy their various activities and social events.”