Facts & Figures |
| Organisation Name: | Twechar Community Action |
| Individual Name: | |
| Area Served: | Twechar is located 2 miles south west of Kilsyth in East Dunbartonshire, not far from Glasgow. |
| Population: | 1499 |
| Sketch: | A former mining and quarrying village, Twechar is one of Scotland’s15% most deprived areas. Twechar Community Action was formed as a response to the closure of the Council owned and operated recreation centre and have been managing and operating the centre since April 2001. |
| Legal Form: | Company limited by guarantee with charitable status |
| Volunteers: | 40 |
| People Benefitting: | The entire village |
| Staff: | 22 |
| Turnover: | £122,654 ( represents a 6 month trading period only due to closing for refurbishment in last financial year) |
| Earned Income: | £37,000 |
| Assets: | Fixtures and fittings, sports equipment etc (Don’t own the building – lease from Council) |
| Value of assets: | $15,727 |
Roots & Links |
| Origins: | Twechar Community Action was formed as a response to the closure of the Council owned and operated recreation centre and have been managing and operating the centre since April 2001. |
| Governance: | Voluntary Board of seven - must be residents or have an active involvement in Twechar. Voted on at AGM by members who also must be residents or have an active involvement in the local community . |
| Community Links: | Convene regular focus groups re regeneration issues; bring local organisations together at regular networking and fundraising events; engage wider community at community fairs and engage local people through the quarterly newsletter that is produced collaboratively with other Twechar organisations. |
| External Links: | Member of Health Social Enterprise network, Council for Voluntary Services. Currently becoming a member of Development Trust Association Scotland. Represent Twechar at East Bartonshire Community Planning Partnership and Addiction Strategy Group. Provide venue for satellite surgeries- CAB, Police, Volunteer Centre, Job Centre Plus. |
Activities |
| Physical Hub: | Yes. Twechar Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre is located in the heart of the village and provides a focus for much of the learning, social, recreational and community activities in the village. |
| Builds Local Capacity: | Yes. Provide learning/training opportunities through Lifelong Learning Team - a collaboration between TCA, local authority and the community college. |
| Delivers Services: | The Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre provides facilities for learning and training, health and well-being activities, cultural, sport and recreational pursuits as well as offering accommodation for community groups, a café, sports hall, youth club, meeting rooms, pharmacy /holistic therapies, beauty salon and garden maintenance project. Also have dedicated space for a future GP service. |
| Develops/Manages Property: | Yes. Develop and manage, but do not own the buildings
and land.
|
| Other: | |
| Main Achievements: | • Forming a company limited by guarantee with charitable status to assume responsibility for the management and operation of the centre.
• Securing agreement to lease the centre facilities from the local authority.
• Developed the centre into a Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre through recruiting volunteers from the community to assist in the operation - securing new tenants and letting accommodation including provision of a dedicated pre-fives facility, youth club and cafe for the area.
|
What Next |
| Biggest Challenge: | Achieving a balance between meeting community needs and maximizing income |
| Lessons Learned: | The need to make all aspects of the facility flexible and multi-purpose |
| Aspirations: | • Refurbishment of indoor sports facility
• Developing environment/garden maintenance project as an income earner
• Further develop outdoor play areas
• Get core costs covered through service level agreement with Council
|
Contact |
| Name: | Sandra Sutton |
| Title: | Community Regeneration |
| Address Line 1: | Twechar Healthy Living & Enterprise Centre, St Johns Way, Main Street |
| Address Line 2: | G65 9TA |
| City: | Twechar |
| County: | |
| Telephone: | 01236 827 154 |
| Fax: | 01236 823 221 |
| Email: | info@twecharhlec.org.uk |
| Website URL: | www.twecharhlec.org.uk |
| District: | |
