Bridgend Farmhouse has raised more than £70,000 through a community shares offer
A determined group of volunteers on the south side of Edinburgh are celebrating the success of of years of endeavours to get a community project off the ground.
Bridgend Farmhouse has raised £70,750 through a community shares offer.
The bid to restore a 19th century farmhouse in Bridgend, Edinburgh, started eight years ago and culminated in the spring with a new community hub being officially opened.
The group launched a community share scheme earlier this year – as it bids to create a community hub and social enterprise centre which is owned and controlled by the local community – and has surpassed its £50,000 target.
“Through our own investments, which ranged from anywhere between £25 to £5,000 per investor, we have become owner members. This has built up a resilience in our community and developed our own health in many different ways,” said Will Golding, who came up with the idea of creating the hub.
“We engage with the environment through our outdoor spaces – used to grow edible produce and participate in clubs in the fresh air.
“When we began the long path to get this far, I didn’t realise that the volunteering was so much more than that - that it meant becoming a properly constituted group which could qualify for grants from the Big Lottery Fund, the Robertson Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council.
“Democratic community ownership means everyone has a say and I have learned so much. As a member of the voluntary group, I had to learn to manage staff. I had never done that before in my paid employment.”
James Proctor, programme manager at Community Shares Scotland, said: “We worked closely with the group at Bridgend Farmhouse as they developed their business plan and share offer.
“Two weeks after it launched at the beginning of September - the share offer had attracted its £30,000 minimum target. They were hoping for £50,000, but when the offer closed on Tuesday this week, had reached £70,750. It’s our remit to offer hands on support to guide communities through every step of a share offer process.”
Those who have invested will have a say on how the project is run, and will have an opportunity to cash their shares in after five years.
Donna McArdle was appointed the first full time member of staff at the farmhouse in January.
She said: “We were still stripping back the paint off skirting boards and window shutters close to opening date – and we counted 15 layers of paint there! It was all hands on to get the building finished. A collective deadline really helped.
“Everyone was motivated and turned out on a regular basis to ensure our success. It created a real feeling of purpose – groups were charring the larch cladding for the workshops, and volunteers doing what they could to help paid construction workers. People were in painting, stripping, helping us find furniture for the café.”
The theme of Bridgend Farmhouse is learning, exercise, eating – in practice tackling health inequalities which means physical and mental health issues and barriers – addiction, homelessness, isolation and motivation.
