Possible proposal for a community hub within the Kingdom Shopping Centre operated by local churches and other groups

Overview

This document is a request for discussion about the possibility of creating a community hub within the Kingdom Shopping Centre, to be used by churches and other groups to provide support to people in and offer activities and services to them. It has been written by representatives of three local Church of congregations. If there is scope to take discussions further, this would be done through Glenrothes and District Churches Together.

We are aware that the Kingdom Shopping Centre has long standing policies regarding the use of by political and religious groups. However, we believe it should be possible to create a hub which will benefit the community and the centre whilst avoiding the potential issues which underlie these policies.

This document does not lay out a detailed proposal. Instead, it asks the question “Is there scope for a discussion about what might be possible?” If we can reach agreement on that question, we would seek to produce a more detailed proposal.

Background

Although the churches in Glenrothes and the surrounding villages each have their own activities, they have worked together for many years in order to serve the community and reach out to support people. Projects have include the “Gravy Train” lunches for homeless people based at the YMCA, fundraising for Christian Aid and other charities and substantial support for the founding of the Glenrothes Foodbank.

Historically, charitable and community service have been key activities for churches. Apart from the development of healthcare and education in Scotland and the ongoing work of church based organisations like Crossreach, SCIAF and Christian Aid, other charities like Oxfam and Samaritans grew out of churches.

Some of the local churches had a conference last year about “Fresh Expressions” of church. This document was created as a result of that conference.

As a New Town, a lot of the focus in Glenrothes is around the Kingdom Shopping Centre and associated buildings. It is one of the main places people gather, especially young people, those who are lonely and those who are vulnerable, all groups the churches would like to support.

Although the churches have been very grateful for opportunities like Christian Aid collections and community carol singing, we have always been aware that there have been policies in place regarding political and religious groups in the Kingdom Shopping Centre.

What might a “community hub” look like?

There is already a successful community shop and café in the Glenwood Centre which was started by St Ninian’s Community Church. There are also many shops or community hubs run by churches around Scotland. However, there are not many in large retail environments like the Kingdom Shopping Centre. In the past, there was a drop-in centre at the Kingsgate in Dunfermline and a community hub at Ocean Terminal in Leith.

At this stage, we have no presumptions about what might be appropriate in Glenrothes and we have deliberately decided to consult with the centre management and landlords before trying to draw up a proposal. If we can reach an agreement in principle that something might be possible, then we would probably apply to the Church of Scotland “Go for It” fund for a research grant which would allow us to investigate what might be useful, feasible and acceptable.

It’s not even clear whether “community hub” is the right description, but we are thinking that there would be community emphasis rather than a church emphasis. The most likely model for operating the unit might be to set up a charitable trust, with representatives from different churches and other groups. It’s likely that whatever name is adopted would be focussed on community rather than church.

Although it’s too early to say how the unit might be used, some options that have already been proposed include:

Activities run by local churches or other faith groups - these might include a listening service, advice/advocacy services, a quiet space for reflection or prayer, courses, craft workshops, sale of fair trade goods or information about other groups and services.

Drop-in sessions – these might be operated by church groups, or by other charities. There are, for example, many charitable groups with bases in Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline or elsewhere in who might find it useful to have a weekly drop-in slot in Glenrothes. It may also be possible to provide some services to staff who work within the Kingdom Shopping Centre and surrounding businesses.

Community activities – there may be local charities and other groups who cannot afford to run their own premises, but would appreciate a base where they could meet other people engaged in community activities.

What’s in it for the Kingdom Shopping Centre?

Although we hope to be able to access some funding to support the creation of a community hub and we would be looking to create something which is sustainable, nothing will be possible without the cooperation of the Kingdom Shopping Centre.

We see three potential areas of benefit for the Kingdom Shopping Centre:

Increased footfall – Although part of the reason for considering a community hub is because of the people who already visit the centre, we would expect that the different activities involved would bring additional visitors to the centre, who would also be potential shoppers. Without knowing exactly what might be offered through the centre and the hours of operation, it’s hard to guess how many extra visitors. However, this could be part of the research phase.

Support of centre employees and other tenants – Apart from increased footfall, there may be scope to provide other support to people employed within the centre. There may be a possibility of partnership with Workplace Chaplaincy Scotland, who already have several retail centre relationships.

Corporate Responsibility – Ethics, community engagement and social responsibility are increasingly important. A community partnership like this could provide valuable examples and case studies. It should also be good publicity for the Kingdom Shopping Centre.

Where next?

The idea of a community hub could only move on to being a fuller proposal if:

1. There is agreement in principle from the Kingdom Shopping Centre that there might be something worth considering.

2. There is a broad base of church, community and, if possible, other faith groups in support of the project.

3. There is research carried out about the possible activities of a community hub, the potential benefits, the management model, the financial sustainability and the risks.

If a fuller proposal can be developed and there is broad support from church and other groups, then the next steps would probably be:

 A period of research into what might be useful and appropriate.  Consideration of the funding and management.  Further discussions with the Kingdom Shopping Centre

We expect that these activities would take several months or longer. If it seems appropriate to take things further, it might then be sensible to set up a pilot operation, or a short term trial.

8th February 2016

Alan Kimmitt, minister, St Columba’s Parish Church Eileen Miller, minister, St Margaret’s Parish Church Ralph Dean, elder, St Ninian’s Parish Church Chris Hay, chair, GROW Trust