Pictured: Leader of Falkirk Council Cecil Meiklejohn (centre left) with Bailliefields Community Hub’s Trustees, and Community Hub Officer Donna Harris (far right).
Hundreds of people came together on Sunday, 27 August to celebrate the official opening of new facilities at Bailliefields Community Hub.
Falkirk Council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, attended the open day alongside other notable guests to see firsthand the new modular building that the charity has developed at Sunnyside Road, Brightons.
The occasion also provided an opportunity to learn about the next phase of improvements that will be made possible with the help of funding from Community Choices, Falkirk Council's participatory budgeting programme.
The recently completed modular building houses modern kitchen facilities, several meeting spaces, and is fully accessible. Alongside the building, the newly extended car park completes the initial transformation of facilities used by over 200 members of Bailliefields Community Hub.
Pictured (left to right): MSP Michelle Thomson, MP Martyn Day, and Chair and Trustee, Bailliefields Community Hub, Stephen Sutton, join Leader of Falkirk Council Cecil Meiklejohn seen cutting the ribbon.
The next phase will see a former cow shed converted into a 150m2 community hall, kitchen, office, and a Changing Places Toilet for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Additionally, a publicly accessible defibrillator will be installed on the exterior of the building.
Stephen Sutton, Chair and Trustee, Bailliefields Community Hub, said: "Our aim is to create 'a place for all’ where the community feel they belong, are safe, respected and see themselves having a future. The transformation of our facilities underscores that commitment to create an entirely accessible hub where everyone is welcome."
Funding
Bailliefields Community Hub estimates it will have invested £675,000 across both phases of improvement works, with the second phase expected to be completed in June 2024. Of that total, £100,500 of funding was secured through Community Choices.
Run in conjunction with Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, the participatory budgeting programme encourages communities to develop and vote for projects that will benefit the area in which they live.
Pictured: The local community came out in their droves to join the celebrations.
In late October this year, the fourth and final round of Community Choices will launch, offering community groups, like Bailliefields Community Hub, the chance to apply for capital grants of more than £5,000 and small grants of up to £5,000.
Pictured: Sisters Daria and Hadiyah Chaudhry enjoy the bouncy slide, one of the many fun activities organised as part of the day.
Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “Bailliefields Community Hub successfully secured two capital grants and one small grant through Community Choices. That means the group put forward ideas that the local community got behind and voted for. That is the beauty of participatory budgeting. It helps empower communities by shifting decision-making over how public funds are spent from the Council to the people.
“Witnessing and learning more about the transformative potential these grants have helped the charity unlock is truly inspiring. The renovations are remarkable, and credit goes to the dedicated volunteer board who work tirelessly to improve the offering.”
Stephen said: “The funding we secured through Community Choices continues to play a pivotal role in helping us realise our vision of establishing a central hub for the community to use. Without the grants it would have been much harder, and taken much longer, to bring our plans to life.”
Diversification
In 2018, Redding & Westquarter Cricket Club decided to diversify its offering and expand its reach, initially undertaking outreach work that saw the 115-year-old club introduce cricket to primary schools in deprived areas. It also began working with Alzheimer Scotland to launch a Dementia support group.
Pictured: Scotland’s future cricketing stars test their skills.
Just before the pandemic the club’s board of five volunteer Directors launched the concept of Bailliefields Community Hub. Its aim was to preserve the club’s cricketing heritage while also creating a welcoming space that community groups and local people could use to host a diverse range of affordable activities. In 2021 this was formalised with the incorporation of Bailliefields Community Hub as a charity.
Pictured (left to right): Connor Innes and Nrisit Saravanan, who are both members of the cricket club, part of Bailliefields Community Hub.
Stephen said: “We identified an opportunity for the club to grow and support groups that reduce social isolation, provide opportunities to all, and improve the lives of people in the local community. By setting up the hub and becoming a charity, it allows us to provide a place where everyone is welcome and feels safe. It also allows us to support other local groups to bring the community together. The local community are right behind us, and we’ve already had ideas from the community for a book club, music and record evenings, holistic therapies such as yoga and Tai Chi, cultural cooking evenings, cycling and running clubs, and bike maintenance.”