Tag: The Prentice Centre

The Action Group take ownership of The Prentice Centre

The Action Group have taken ownership of The Prentice Centre from the West Granton Community Trust (WGCT), following a Community Asset Transfer after the WGCT announced their closure in June 2022. 

With almost 50 years supporting people across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Falkirk with disabilities, and their families and carers, The Action Group have a many of long standing connections with people across North Edinburgh, and have been based in Leith since 1976. 

Stephen Oliver, Chair of the Board for The Action Group, said: “This is an exciting change for us as an organisation, and we hope to develop an inclusive community hub, for those we support, and our staff, now and in the future.

“We are looking forward to a positive  future at The Prentice Centre, and are privileged to be able to build on the connections and partnerships, forged by WGCT over many years. We are so grateful to their members, staff and Management committee for working with us so positively on this transfer. We are proud to go forward with their blessing.”

Community Hub Manager for the Prentice Centre, Moira Fenning, said: “It was an extremely difficult decision taken by the West Granton Community Trust, to wind down the charity after serving the local community for 30 years.

“However, the transition of finding new owners for the building, was made much easier by seeing the amazing work carried out by the Action Group, and the exciting future plans they have for the Prentice Centre.

“We would like to take this opportunity to wish them every success in their future work within the community.”

Lisa Williamson, Development Manager for The Action Group, said: ‘The possibilities and opportunities that this move will give us are very exciting.

“We are looking forward to forming new partnerships within the local community, and working on collaborative projects with organisations both locally and across the city, to provide services and spaces for people with additional support needs, their families, and carers.”

The Action Group intend to have the centre up and running within a few months and will initially retain the name The Prentice Centre.

CEO of The Action Group, Linda Tuthill, said: “The Prentice Centre was named after Walter Prentice, a longstanding local activist.

“It was an easy decision for us to choose to continue his legacy for the time being and retain his name on the building, together with our own name: The Action Group @ The Prentice Centre.”

The Action Group ownership was finalised on February 6th.

Back from the Brink: Last minute reprieve for local community centres

PRENTICE CENTRE REMAINS CLOSED FOR NOW

TWO North Edinburgh community centres were saved from closure following a last-ditch intervention by councillors at a marathon council meeting yesterday.

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre was braced for closure this summer following months of uncertainty over funding, while the voluntary management board of West Granton Community Trust announced on Monday that the Prentice Centre also faced closure due to spiralling running costs.

Councillors unanimously agreed a composite motion after three similar motions were submitted on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre:

Noting that there are three motions tabled on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, this
amendment is to composite motion 8.3 by Councillor Day (Drylaw Neighbourhood
Centre) with motion 8.4 by Councillor Osler (Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre) and
motion 8.12 by Councillor Nicolson (Save Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre).
Amends the text of motion 8.3 as follows:

“Council;

  1. notes the work towards a model of 20-minute neighbourhoods across the
    city which requires the development of strong local community facilities that
    are locally and easily accessible for all residents.
  2. recognises the critical role that neighbourhood and community centres play
    in our communities, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also
    in maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. notes the board of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre have made clear that the
    centre is not going to survive financially beyond summer without one-off
    funding support from the council.
  4. thanks officers for their actions so far in offering advice and some practical
    support to the organisation but regrets this has not managed to help the
    centre reach a positive outcome.
  5. agrees that officers should work with Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s
    Management Committee to create a sound and sustainable financial
    arrangement that allows the Centre to continue over the long term.

Yesterday’s marathon full council meeting also agreed the following Addendum, which was moved by new Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin and seconded by his SNP collague, Invereleith’s Vicky Nicholson, who was also elected in May.

The Addendum reads:

  1. Notes the decision by West Granton Community Trust (announced on June
    27th) to close the Prentice Centre in a matter of months unless immediate
    action is taken.
  2. Recognises the critical role that the Prentice Centre plays in the community
    it serves, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also in
    maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. Agrees therefore to also delegate to the Director of Education and Children
    Services to award £50,000 from Council Unallocated Reserves for the
    Prentice Centre to ensure the Centre can remain open and continue serving
    the community in the short term. The award of grant is subject to appropriate
    due diligence, including grant conditions on expenditure and assurances
    from the Centre on additional funding being secure.
  4. Agrees that due to the number of community-run centres facing closure due
    to financial strain, that a report is brought to Council in one cycle identifying
    those under financial strain and where additional resources can be made
    available to keep valuable community resources open. This report should
    also consider the state of management in the community-run centre sector
    and recommend principles for the relationship between CEC and centres on
    financial matters.

The eleventh hour funding agreement does not guarantee that either Centre will remain open long term, but it does at least give both of these valuable community resources some time and support to explore other options to ensure their survival.

The council decision of short-term financial support will come as a huge relief to staff and management committees in particular but also the hundreds of residents of all ages who support their local community centres.

The work must begin now to ensure that both Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and The Prentice Centre can look forward to sustainable futures.

UPDATE:

West Granton Community Hub Manager Moira Fanning has been in touch (Saturday 2 July) to say that the Prentice Centre “remains CLOSED as negotiations with the Council have not been finalised”.

I will post more information when it becomes available.

PRENTICE CENTRE TO CLOSE

West Granton Community Trust is to close The Prentice Centre, it has been confirmed. The management committee made the heartbreaking decision at a board meeting on Monday evening, citing impossible economic challenges.

The popular community centre in Granton Mains will cease programme activities from this Friday and the building will close in three months. Three members of staff are affected.

The Prentice Centre was one of three new community centres built across North Edinburgh in the late 1990s thanks to European Poverty and Urban Aid funding through local agency The Pilton Partnership.

The others were Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and Muirhouse Millennium Centre, and the new centres could offer new facilities and local programmes to complement those being provided by Craigroyston Community Centre (now closed), West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

The Prentice Centre, which was named after longstanding local activist Walter Prentice, housed the local Community Education team and has been the base for a wide range of local groups with activities for local residents of all ages since it opened. Thousands of local folk have attended activities there.

External organisations have also used facilities at the Prentice Centre. Granton Information Centre currently has a satellite office there and the building was also home for North West Carers, among others. Dads Rock held Saturday sessions there and Tragic Carpet Theatre Company has also been running an over-50s drama group at the Centre.

Like other community organisations across the city, The Prentice Centre has found it difficult to attract sufficient external funding to compensate for shrinking council grants over recent years.

Finance, in particular or the lack of it, has always been a concern. I lost count of the number of AGMs I attended where former manager Elizabeth Campbell would catalogue the financial challenges. It was a running joke – we had a wee laugh about it every year. It doesn’t seem quite so funny now.

But this was the case year after year, and despite everything, the Centre worked minor miracles and managed to put on a pretty decent programme.

The Prentice Centre last fought a spirited – and ultimately successful – campaign back in 2016 to fight closure following savage funding cuts by the city council. Once again the Centre survived to fight again another day … then there was Covid.

The Covid pandemic hit the Centre particularly hard over the last two years, forcing shutdowns which meant that no income could be generated.

Costs have been cut to the bone, and staff have gone above and beyond to continue to provide a service, but now the soaring price of overheads – over which the Prentice Centre has no control – have finally made the Centre’s future untenable.

Dedicated staff Moira, Mary and Stuart are understandably devastated, but not surprised, by the news. Mary has been with The Prentice Centre for more than 24 years and Stuart has been there since it opened in 1997.

There’s no doubt that the centre’s closure will be a huge blow to the local area and it’s particularly cruel given that facilities are now slowly beginning to open up again after pandemic lockdowns.

A community event at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre last week saw large numbers of activists getting together once again after two years of virtual shutdown. The recovery has come just too late for the Prentice Centre, however.

Council leader Labour’s Cammy Day is a Forth councillor and he held surgeries in The Prentice Centre. In a statement, his office responded: “Cammy has met with the board and asked officers to engage with them to see if there is any support or advice we can provide.”

Manager Moira Fanning explained: “All avenues for accessing alternative funding have been explored, but there is just no money out there. We deeply regret that we will no longer be able to serve the West Granton community. We thank all our members for their support over the years”.

Thank you, too, Moira, Mary and Stuart. You really couldn’t have done any more.

.

Ben Macpherson surgeries tomorrow

Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith 

This Friday, 6 May, I will be holding my regular ‘Drop-in Help & Advice Surgeries’ in Edinburgh Northern and Leith.

Do not attend if you are unwell. Please find the details below:

#HereToHelp

9:30am – 10:30am at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre (11 Pilton Drive North, Edinburgh EH5 1NF).11:00am –

12:00noon at Prentice Centre (1 Granton Mains Ave, Edinburgh EH4 4GA). 3:30pm –

4:30pm at Leith Community Centre (12A Newkirkgate, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6AD).

If you can’t come this Friday, and you need assistance from me as your local MSP, you can also contact my office via phone on 0131 600 0134 or email me at ben.macpherson.msp@parliament.scot

What if … ? New social enterprise initiative launches in North Edinburgh

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Capital Carers AGM

Wednesday 13th February from 12 – 2pm at The Prentice Centre