Facts & Figures |
| Organisation Name: | Linthouse Urban Village |
| Individual Name: | |
| Area Served: | Linthouse, Greater Govan, Glasgow |
| Population: | Linthouse 2000; Greater Govan 12,000 |
| Sketch: | Linthouse in Greater Govan suffered decline and reduced employment opportunities following the decrease in shipbuilding and heavy engineering along the Clyde. This decline was accelerated by the building of the Clyde Tunnel in the 1960s which physically split the community in two. The siting of a sewage treatment plant in the area and the opening of the nearby Braehead shopping centre as a major retail outlet placed pressure on the remaining shops in the area. |
| Legal Form: | LUV is a subsidiary of the Linthouse Housing Association (LHA). The LHA is a registered social landlord |
| Volunteers: | 10 |
| People Benefitting: | The entire Linthouse community and the Greater Govan community |
| Staff: | 7 |
| Turnover: | Approximately £200,000 |
| Earned Income: | £110,000 from cafe |
| Assets: | The LHA owns the buildings where the LUV café and LUV office and gallery space are sited |
| Value of assets: | Properties are not currently owned by LUV |
Roots & Links |
| Origins: | Since inception the LUV initiative has been led by the Linthouse Housing Association that has provided social housing in Linthouse for the last 30 years and has also taken on a wider role in the community in terms of revitalizing the area. The LHA worked with the local community, Fablevision and Govan Initiative’s Social Economy Team to utilise a cultural planning approach to revitalise the Linthouse shopping area and develop the concept of Linthouse as an urban village |
| Governance: | The LUV Project has a management board of local people that reports to the LHA Board. The LHA Board is entirely made up local people. |
| Community Links: | LUV works closely with a number of local groups including the Child and Family Centre, Preshal Trust, Hope project, Community Police, Govan Youth Information, Greater Govan Social Inclusion Partnership and Greater Govan Social Economy Team. LUV provides information to the community through the quarterly LHA newsletter and holds community consultations as needed. |
| External Links: | LUV is well linked to a range of external partners, within Glasgow and at a national level. These include Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow South West Regeneration Agency, Fablevision, Scottish Enterprise and Communities Scotland. LUV is a member of Development Trusts Association Scotland. |
Activities |
| Physical Hub: | LUV project headquarters are at the LUV gallery/office/artspace where community events and workshops are run. Opposite is the LUV Café that has become a meeting place for local people.
LUV is currently working with local groups to develop the former Fairfield Farmhouse in Elderpark, which is sited opposite the LUV Gallery and Café, as a larger creative enterprises hub to bring various local social economy organisations together.
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| Builds Local Capacity: | Capacity building of local people has mainly been an organic process enhanced through involvement in the many LUV projects. |
| Delivers Services: | Recent initiatives include: the creative shopfronts project - in which local people, artists and shopkeepers have redesigned 14 shop fronts to physically regenerate the main street. Establishment of the LUV community café; Establishment of the LUV office/gallery space; There is also a programme of community events and workshops including a regular LUV Book Group, Youth Drop in, Art Classes for young people and adults and monthly art exhibitions; The LUV cookbook is a recently completed project that draws recipes from refugees and asylum seekers who have settled in Govan |
| Develops/Manages Property: | LUV manages the café and the LUV offices/gallery. The LHA owns the properties. |
| Other: | In excess of £600,000 was secured for the LUV project from funders. Communities Scotland “Wider Role” funds have paid for capital works and for the employment of the Urban Village Co-ordinator for the first 3 years. Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow Key Fund, the Social Economy Team and Glasgow City Council South West Area Committee, Awards for all and Increase Fund have also provided funding. |
| Main Achievements: | • Completion of the Linthouse shop fronts project that revitalized the main street and increased residents pride in the area
• Establishment of the LUV headquarters as an office, artspace and community gallery base.
• Establishment of the LUV Café and meeting facility
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What Next |
| Biggest Challenge: | Financial sustainability. LUV is intending to move to a position where their independent income streams cover their core costs. But keeping the initiative going on grant funding in the interim has been challenging. |
| Lessons Learned: | The importance of a grass roots approach to this project cannot be overemphasised - the involvement of local organisations and people in both the design of the project and as part of the decision-making process has been crucial to its success. |
| Aspirations: | • Development of the former Fairfield Farmhouse in Elderpark as a space to house local social enterprise organisations
• Development of a business plan for a LUV Recycling Firm which will look primarily at recycling textiles employing volunteers from the local area.
• Development of former Electrical Substations at Cressy Street into a Recycling Hub.
• Development of the business plan for the LUV Company; a development trust with an independent legal entity, encompassing all the LUV Projects with a dedicated board of directors
• Development of independent income streams and assets to ensure long term financial sustainabilty
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Contact |
| Name: | Ingrid Campbell |
| Title: | LUV Co-ordinator |
| Address Line 1: | LUV Project, 1226 Govan Road |
| Address Line 2: | Linthouse, Govan, G51 4RA |
| City: | Glasgow |
| County: | |
| Telephone: | 0141 445 5100 |
| Fax: | |
| Email: | ingrid@linthouseurbanvillage.com |
| Website URL: | www.linthouseurbanvillage.com |
| District: | |
