Brighter Baillieston: Empowering Community Engagement through Garrowhill Community Centre
Brighter Baillieston, an organisation based in the East End of Glasgow, is committed to enhancing the well-being and reducing isolation within the communities of Baillieston and the surrounding areas. In pursuit of their mission, they applied to Glasgow City Council’s People Make Glasgow Communities (PMGC) Programme to take over the management of .
The community centre had closed down during lockdown and had no plans to reopen. With a general lack of space in Baillieston and Garrowhill for community activities Brighter Ballieston had chosen to engage CEIS when they learned that the community centre was available for take over as part of the People Make Glasgow Communities Programme.
The facility is located in a central location in Garrowhill, sitting next to Garrowhill Park, Garrowhill Bowling Club and three refurbished tennis courts. It’s location next to other community facilities made the prospect of taking the premises into community ownership particularly appealing.
This case study outlines Brighter Baillieston’s journey, highlighting the problem they faced during the application process, the solution we implemented that led to their success, and the outcome of securing the centre to make a positive impact on the community.
People Make Glasgow Communities Programme (PMGC)
CEIS have helped a number of organisations take over the running of community assets since the creation of the People Make Glasgow Communities Programme in November 2021. The People Make Glasgow Communities programme is an initiative by the Glasgow City Council to empower local groups and organisations to take a more active role in running the services and venues in their communities. The programme aims to build stronger, more resilient, fairer, and healthier communities that meet social, climate and economic equity requirements.
Until it’s closure in March 2023, it had received over 500 expressions of interest from parties that wished to help run community venues in the city.
The Problem
Upon expressing their interest in managing Garrowhill Community Centre, Brighter Baillieston had to address the following challenges in their application form:
- Compiling a robust business plan that outlined their vision and operational strategy for the centre.
- Gathering feedback from the local community to establish the demand for services and programmes at the centre.
Brighter Baillieston also faced a lack of resources with only four members of the Management Committee, who are responsible for running the venue with the help of a few volunteers.
The Solution
To address the challenges, Brighter Baillieston engaged with Alex Rooney, one of our most experienced business advisers, to develop a well-structured Business Plan. Alex has worked with a number of clients with a similar brief and has extensive experience in business planning and finance. Together, Alex and the team devised a solution which encompassed the following steps:
- Using a Business Model Canvas template to gather essential information for the Business Plan. This includes who the key partners and suppliers would be, the key activities they were aiming to provide, the key resources they needed to make the organisation a success, as well as more detail on their proposed value proposition, how they intend to identify customers, build relationships with them and how to promote the business.
- Hosting or facilitating several business planning sessions with the Brighter Baillieston Management Committee to gather insights and data for the Plan.
- Performing a risk analysis with committee members and discussing financial projections, including setting hall hire rates and establishing a staffing structure. This enabled the compilation of three-year financial projections. This demonstrated a gradual build up in the generated income potential of the facility with a corresponding reduction in the dependency of grant funding.
The Outcome
The compilation of a robust business plan and financial projections played a decisive role in Brighter Baillieston’s successful application to the People Make Glasgow Communities Programme. The outcome was characterised by the following achievements:
- The application was passed at the Contracts and Property Committee meeting on 22nd November 2022, acknowledging the strength of Brighter Baillieston’s proposal.
- As a result of their successful application, Brighter Baillieston was entrusted with the keys to Garrowhill Community Centre on 12 May 2023.
- Financial projections from the project show that they predicted a dependency on grant funding of 72% in Year 1 falling to 16% in Year 3. It also forecast a subsequent change in generated income of 28% in Year 1 rising to 84% in Year 3.
Conclusion
The success of Brighter Baillieston’s application to manage Garrowhill Community Centre exemplifies the power of perseverance and strategic planning in empowering community organisations. Their collaboration with CEIS allowed them to craft a compelling business plan that highlighted the genuine need for their proposed services. By securing the community centre, Brighter Baillieston is set to make a profound impact on the local community, fostering increased engagement, enhanced well-being, and a brighter future for Baillieston.
Testimonial:
“Thanks for all your help. It wouldn’t have been possible without your wonderful business plan” – Brighter Baillieston Committee Member.
Following on from this, we were also delighted to hear directly from the Programme Liaison Officer in the PMGC Programme Office to request support for another PMGC applicant to compile a business plan, stating “I’d asked for you specifically as you were great to work with on the Brighter Baillieston application”.
Get In Touch Today
If you need help with your board development, get in touch with us using the form below.
