Glasgow group vows to raise money to reopen Ruchill hub

Residents of North Glasgow will rally to save Ruchill Community Centre, as they claim Glasgow Life and the council have failed them.

Protesters have gathered at the building every Saturday for over two years to demand the reopening.

Now the group announced that they will hold their own fundraising event to move forward with the campaign.

Campaigners from Save Ruchill Community Centre pictured outside Ruchill Community centre on Bilsland Drive, Glasgow (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Councillor Fiona Higgins, actor Dave Anderson and Paul Sweeney MSP (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Ann McGinley, chair of Ruchill Community Council, said: “Nobody from Glasgow Life or Glasgow City Council has come to speak to us.

“They have just left us hanging. There are still protesters down there every Saturday and quite a lot of people going to back them.

“We are banging our heads off a brick wall so we decided that we will have another go at it and see what we can do."

We have previously reported that originally it was estimated that £262,000 would be needed to make the community centre usable again.

In June, however, this cost rose to over £650,000 after it was discovered that the roof had asbestos and would need to be replaced.

To try and collect the money, locals will hold a charity night at the Black Horse pub in Summerston.

The Ruchill resident added: “What else can we do? Nobody is guiding us, nobody is speaking to us and there is no information about what we can and cannot do.

“We still don’t even know if the hub is getting open.

“They said how much it would cost to open it but they haven’t said yes or no to opening.

“There is lots of speculation. Some people say they want to pull it down to make a roundabout for the Ashlar Village.

“So many have said that’s not true but how can we prove that when there is nobody talking to us?"

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Karen Love, who has been involved in the demonstration since the beginning, said: "We are very disheartened with the hub still not being open.

"It has been 120 Saturdays and we would like the council and Glasgow Life to know that we are still trying."

The event will give the community a chance to have fun and donate to the cause.

Ms McGinley said: “Local entertainer George Wilson took us under his wing.

“He is doing all the arrangements and it looks like it’s going to be a right good time.

“Everything is going towards the centre."

A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: "The further costs mean we need at least an additional £400,000 just to make Ruchill Community Centre functional.

"This doesn’t address the other problems with the venue, such as lack of insulation, accessibility, Disability Discrimination Act compliance, and decoration.

“As we have been saying for some time now, Glasgow Life does not have the additional funding to progress the required repair programme at Ruchill Community Centre. Discussions are continuing with Glasgow City Council about the venue and the funding gap.

“We have had regular discussions with local councillors in the area and met some of them on-site last month. There have also been several meetings and regular email correspondence with the Save Ruchill Community Centre group.”