Breaking News – The Future of TRCCA
In 2012, South Lanarkshire Council told Blackwood & Kirkmuirhill Co-
ordination Group (BKCG) that, if no one took on what used to be the ‘Target Centre’ (which had been lying empty for some time) they would give up their lease and it would be sold by the owner, probably as a shop.
Eight members of BKCG stepped up and formed a committee early in 2013:
Esther Serrels
Jessie McMillan
Jim Troup
George Buckley
Alex Scott
Miles Fuller
Lindsay Gibson
Dennis White
…and called it Thornton Road Community Centre Association.
TRCCA, as it has become known, has proudly served the local community with a wide range of activities over the last twelve years, and so many local people have played an important part in its story.
Further developments followed:
2015, registered as a Scottish Charity to attract more funding
2018, purchased the property to keep it for the benefit of the local community
2019, purchased the Men’s Shed (which is independently run by KBMS)
2020, installed solar panels which reduced the cost of heating However, due to the ages of its current Trustees, and the lack of younger volunteers coming forward to take on the responsibility of running the Centre, the Board has had to consider another charity taking over in order to preservem the Centre for the future. We had to enter a rigorous process with our governing body, OSCR, in order to
dissolve TRCCA and transfer its assets to another charity with similar
objectives. OSCR is the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and they very recently gave their consent to do this. We are delighted that Healthy Valleys, with whom we have worked closely over these twelve years, have agreed to become the new owners of the property. They will continue the facility as a Community Centre and will honour the
existing hires as well as the current arrangement with Kirkmuirhill and
Blackwood Men’s Shed (KBMS). They will also be able to further develop their traditional services on this side of the Clyde Valley.The transfer date will be 31st March 2025. All new bookings, or enquiries, from that date should be sent to Healthy Valleys via the following email addresses:
Lorna@healthyvalleys.org.uk copy to Karen@healthyvalleys.org.uk
We have every confidence that the future of the Centre will be in good hands under the auspices of Healthy Valleys, who have served Clydesdale extremely well over the last 21 years. We, the current TRCCA Board Members, with mixed emotions, are stepping down and would like to thank everyone who has been involved with us over the
last twelve years, ie current and past board members, volunteers and hirers (individuals and organisations); funders, such as Falck Renewables (now Nadara) whose funds are distributed via Foundation Scotland; South Lanarkshire council and, of course, all those (of all ages) who have attended the wide range of activities held in the Centre since 2013.
Dennis White, Chair
George Buckley, Vice Chair
Bill Dewar, Secretary
Jean Kyle, Treasurer
Evy Watson, Social Media Officer
Jim Troup, Facilities Officer
…and finally, I, Dennis White, would like to publicly thank this amazing team of committed, community-minded people – my fellow Trustees. It has been an absolute pleasure to have shared with them the challenges and opportunities involved in creating and maintaining the Centre. All calls for action were carried out with dedication, and a ready willingness to do what had to be done, all for the good of the community.
Oh yes, for the camaraderie, fun and laughter!

Thornton Road Community Centre

 

Thornton Road Community Centre Association (TRCCA)

 

The  Board of Trustees is proud to say that it:

• Became a Scottish Charity on 17th June 2015 (SCIO)
   
• Purchased the Property on 18th June 2018
   
• Purchased a Men's Shed on 7th May 2019 (Run by KBMS) and formally opened on 7th October 2019 by Aileen Campbell MSP, Communities Minister
   
• Won a Falck Renewables 'Decarbonisation Award' on 20th November 2019, with a project to install solar panels and an Electric Car Re-charging point in our driveway. We are currently working towards its implementation.Panels on 24th July 2020
   
• Installed solar panels on 24th July 2020, which will reduce our power costs and allow us to freeze hire charges for some time to come and to be more liberal with heat provision!

 

We are also delighted that Thornton Road Community Centre has now been available for public use for eight years, and that we have recently provided a Men’s Shed in the back garden area (please see the above link for information about the Men’s Shed).

 

Members of the community are invited to hire space within the Centre, or to join in the activities advertised on our notice boards, website, and other media, from time to time. Please note, however, that a ‘first come, first served' basis will apply to all bookings (see 'How to Book').

 

The  Centre has been developed to provide space for a range of activities that will cater for all ages in the community, with particular reference to young people. If you would like to offer your services as a volunteer for the benefit of the community, we would love to hear from you.

 

The Community wing and facilities in Blackwood School, along with the activities that take place in church halls, all play an important role in the life of our community.  

 

So, how does Thornton Road Community Centre fit into this scenario? Our jigsaw logo, shown above, reflects that everyone is part of the same picture. We see the Centre as an excellent way of supplementing these existing activities.

 

The types of activities we could provide for include meetings for various groups, surgeries for politicians, Line Dancing classes, weekly cafes, Exercise classes for older people, Ipad Help Sessions for older people, Citizens’ Advice Sessions, a Youth Club, an over 60s club and Housing Surgery. We are always looking for new ideas, so please let us have your ideas!

 

We also invite community-minded people with expertise in sports, hobbies, therapies, crafts, music and other interests to consider hiring the Centre to pass on their skills. The Centre is also ideal for parties fur the under 10s and we welcome enquiries from local residents.

 

The benefits of the Centre are enormous, and they all point to a greater sense of belonging, sharing and learning. 

                 

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