£2.5m Community Hub to be built in Broomhouse

An artist’s interpretation of new Community hub.

Broomhouse community in Edinburgh is celebrating two huge fundraising wins bringing its total fundraising efforts to £2.5m to build a new community hub.

In addition to the £500,000 already raised, Broomhouse Centre & Enterprises has received funding from the Big Lottery Fund (£1.2m) and the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grants Fund (£0.8m) achieved in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council.

The £500,000 additional funds have been pledged by The Robertson Trust, Clothworkers Foundation, Tudor Trust, Crerar Hotels and R S MacDonald Trust for the community hub which will which provide a much needed focal point for local people, led by local people, providing services for people across South West Edinburgh.

Welcoming today’s awards, Brigid MacGregor, the Acting Chairperson of Broomhouse Centre & Enterprises said:

We are absolutely delighted by this news. The Community Hub will not only transform our humble centre but aims to transform the lives of all residents in Broomhouse and the South West Partnership area of Edinburgh. We really see the Hub as the start of a new beginning in Broomhouse, it will be a place run by the community for the community.

The existing building, which was built in the 1950’s and is in the process of transferring to Broomhouse Centre ownership, is no longer fit for purpose and is too small to offer the range of services required to meet the needs that exist locally.  We will continue with our existing services, but in the new hub, also offer a wide range of opportunities ranging from informal social gatherings to more volunteering and work placements. Broomhouse residents have a lot to look forward to once the hub has been built and is open for business.

Bridie Ashrowan, Chief Executive said:

We are thrilled to know that the Big Lottery Fund, Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council and all of our funders have got alongside this community to help us create a vibrant centre and heart to this community for the future.

By building a new £2.7m community hub, more than twice the existing footfall, we will have a centre that is fit for purpose with a wide range of activities. It will create a new heart for the existing and emerging communities.  This investment will enable us to move to being a multi-purpose urban Development Trust, one of the only anchor organisations in SW Edinburgh, aiming to regenerate the area.

The centre has always punched above its weight, with innovative services and enterprises, some of which are city wide, but this gives us the boost we need to really make a difference as a community-owned and managed asset. We want this hub to enable local people to flourish and to be a truly vibrant centre.

The new hub will:

  • Be a Social Space, where local people can gather in a central café space
  • Provide training and employment opportunities, rooted within our catering expertise
  • A space for starting enterprises – social enterprises or own businesses
  • A space for Young People, including space for creative and physical activities
  • A space for Older people’s Well-being and health, especially those who are isolated
  • A space for parents and toddlers, with a soft play facility
  • Provide increased income generation for sustainability
  • To aim to grow to be open to the public, seven days a week, 12 hours a day

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair:

I am delighted that Broomhouse and the area will benefit from a new state of the art community hub, thanks to this contribution from the National Lottery. Since its launch ten years ago, our Growing Community Assets fund has invested £98 million in 181 projects across the country. This award to Broomhouse Centre & Enterprises is another great example of local people doing it for themselves and I look forward to following their progress as they pursue their community ownership ambitions.

 Cllr Gavin Barrie, Economy Convener, the City of Edinburgh Council, said:

We were delighted to partner with the Broomhouse community to secure this valuable regeneration funding for the area. It is great news that due to further funding from the Big Lottery, the project can now go ahead to deliver vital services to people in South West Edinburgh. The variety of services being proposed is very comprehensive and will offer something for everyone living in the area.

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