About this group
The Dalmarnock Centre is a vibrant hub located at the heart of the local community and has been in existence as a community facility for over 20 years. However, in the last three years it has gone through a renaissance and has been transformed into a wide ranging, effective base for community activities covering the whole population from babies to pensioners. The Dalmarnock area is one of the poorest communities in Scotland and is at the centre of three major regeneration projects:
- Designated the site of the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village.
- The Clyde Gateway Programme – will see the development of the river Clyde and its environs with Dalmarnock at the heart of the entire regeneration project
- East End Regeneration Route – A new expressway will link the M8 and M74, creating new access and exit points for the new National Sports Arena and the National Velodrome.
Specifically, and with regard to this project, the Dalmarnock Centre has been intensively involved in the discussion about the development of the new community which will emerge from the Commonwealth Games Village. This project is being promoted by both the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council as the most carbon friendly development in Scotland. The expectation is that part of the legacy of the games will be the creation of a new community hub which will be planned in detail over the next year. The project is to assist the existing community to become involved in the carbon reduction agenda. It will ensure that the existing community benefits and, at this stage, will raise awareness within the local community in order that they can play a full part in the changes occurring over the next 4 years, and, in particular, in the design of any new community facilities
A recent survey identified two key problems as perceived by the local community. These were fuel poverty and the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. The proposal is to create a project around these issues, which will essentially help to bridge a gap between the present and the future. By engaging local residents in a carbon reduction programme we will raise awareness of what can be achieved in a very practical and achievable way, both now and in the future.
The key strands of the proposed approach are:
- Develop further community engagement in the projects which are now beginning to occur, promoting a focus on energy use and carbon reduction. The project is also aimed at raising aspirations and has the potential to turn the community around in a positive way.
- Tackle fuel poverty by a combination of providing energy savings advice to local residents and engaging directly with local landlords to lever in resources and assist them in undertaking any outstanding physical insulation works, reducing energy use, carbon and benefit disposable income. The project will also look at ways in which the area’s significantly higher than average culture of using expensive pre-payment meters for energy supply can be reduced.
- Establish a small raised bed/garden area to produce fresh fruit and vegetables for local use and to support our cookery lesson programme. This will be a precursor to a larger allotment area which will emerge as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy. The focus of this part of the project will be to enthuse both local residents and local schools in the setting up and use of the allotments while the redevelopment works are underway on the Commonwealth Games. This will raise awareness of healthy eating, benefits of local supply, and benefits of composting and recycling as well as contributing to the theme of reducing carbon.
- Further develop a small cycling initiative currently underway. Although Dalmarnock sits within easy reach of the existing National Cycle Path and is literally on the doorstep of the new National Velodrome, cycling ownership and use is very low at present. This is due to a variety of factors – poverty and storage facilities included. The project will provide more bikes plus storage and training in order to develop an interest in cycling for fitness and as an alternative travel method.
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