Several community projects will be based in the former store

Debenhams at Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal has re-opened its doors as a community hub.

For the next few months, The Wee Hub will occupy the ground and first floor of the old department store. As well as bringing in a variety of arts, drama and sports organisations to make use of the space, the Living Memory Association has constructed areas dedicated to dance and theatre, children’s play, crafts, a library and a ‘wee sit and knit’ (amongst many others) to bring people of all ages together.

It will also be the base for several community projects including the Wee Crowd of Folk, where anyone can dress or decorate one of the many available mannequins, the Wee Reekie, which invites people to paint where they live and the Wee Heritage Centre.

Whilst the wider shopping centre at Ocean Terminal is going through planning consents to revitalise the centre and introduce a mixed use offering in the longer term, this empty space of over 90,000 sq ft has been made available by the centre owners for community groups to use and enjoy free of charge.

Miles Tubb, project co-ordinator of The Living Memory Association said: “Our new community hub provides a much-needed lifeline to groups on the back of Covid that require additional and flexible space to support their needs. Whilst this is a temporary facility for us to use and enjoy, it is fantastic that Ocean Terminal has had the drive and determination to repurpose the unit for the community, rather than leaving it to stand empty.”

Michelle Macleod, centre manager at Ocean Terminal added: “As a team we are excited to welcome this incredibly varied mix of sports and arts community groups to the centre. As our community opens up again post COVID, these organisations will bring new energy to the centre and create more reasons beyond our current retail and leisure offering for new and existing audiences to come to OT.”