A community organisation is celebrating 10 years since a lottery windfall kickstarted the remarkable transformation of the area.
Bellsmyre was chosen by the Big Lottery Fund as one of five communities in Scotland to benefit from millions of pounds of investment to regenerate the once ailing neighbourhood.
The cash resulted in the setting up of Bellsmyre Development Trust which has been going from strength to strength ever since.
The Trust will toast its incredible success with an anniversary party on September 17.
Donnie Nicolson, Bellsmyre Development Trust manager, said: “Bellsmyre has dramatically improved since we set up in 2012.
“It’s a real success story.
“The investment programme has been extensive and we’ve seen major improvements.
“There’s been a transformation of the area.
“In the 10 years I’ve been here it’s gone from a very deprived and tired area to what is now a very vibrant neighbourhood and a great place to live.”
It all started in 2010 when Big Lottery Fund initiative Our Place began working with five communities in Scotland, including Bellsmyre, in a bid to empower local people and organisations to bring about change in their area with community spaces, while delivering services for older people, young people, children and families.
By the end of the fifth year, the Trust had been set up and a brand new community centre – the Cutty Sark – had been built for the neighbourhood, as well as a mountain bike trail.
Donnie explained: “In 2010, the lottery approached the council as West Dunbartonshire as a region was disproportionately not benefitting from lottery money.
“Out of the five places chosen, Bellsmyre at that time was the quickest off the mark.
“A steering group was set up in 2011. The people were committed to making a difference and we quickly got the plans together for a community centre.
“Some of the other areas took much longer to get everything in place.
“We were the teachers pet!
“It was very much built on community participation and volunteering. The success is down to the local people who took it upon themselves to make a difference to their area.”
The money was provided over the course of five years but that was then extended for a further six years, which comes to an end in March next year.
Donnie explained: “It provides funding for the Cutty Sark Centre which was built in 2014, as well as various activities and programmes.
“We have youth clubs, senior citizens clubs, bingo, coffee mornings, fitness classes, dance classes, and arts and crafts clubs.
“One of the busiest is our parent and toddler clubs as well as the after school clubs.
“A big part of the of the attraction of the centre is the facility to provide parties and we do about 150 children’s parties every year.
“We also host organisation events for things like training courses and AGMs.
“We try and vary the activities to suit everyone.”
Donnie is hopeful grant funding will be available after the lottery cash comes to an end next year, saying: “We have proved our sustainability to all the funders we have worked with.
“We are hopeful we will continue to receive grant funding and the council has indicated they will continue to support us going forward.
“We did a five-year evaluation in 2016 and we are going to do a 10-year evaluation at the end of this year so it will give people the chance to see what has changed.
“We are very proud of everything we have achieved.”
The lottery funding also saw the kickstarting of wider regeneration of the area, including a £40million housing transformation, which Caledonia Housing Association is currently undertaking.
Tired housing has been pulled down, including Bellsmyre’s former high flats, and new energy-efficient homes are being built.
Earlier this year, the council approved proposals to demolish 220 flats to make way for 140 new homes as part of Caledonia’s second stage of its regeneration scheme.
It follows the building of 66 new homes at Muir Road, which families moved into this year.
For more information on the Trust, visit https://www.bellsmyretrust.org.uk/home and to keep up to date on their activities, find them on Facebook.com/ BellsmyreDevelopmentTrust.
