THE charity Retail Trust has opened a new community hub in Newton Mearns following a £1 million renovation of its Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate.
Three disused spaces and a community café within the estate’s Crookfur House have been transformed to build the new facilities which will provide services and support for more than 1,000 people annually.
The hub will host disability and health support groups for people with long-term health conditions alongside activities for the Retail Trust’s residents and the wider community, including exercise classes, craft groups, film nights, quizzes, and indoor bowls.
The project has been delivered by Clark Contracts, and the contractor has also paid for and constructed a new fence at Crookfur House through its community benefits programme.
The work has been supported by a £200,000 grant from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund, which helps save and restore community spaces. Other funders include The Hugh Fraser Foundation, the bp foundation, East Renfrewshire Council, Garfield Weston Foundation, B&Q Foundation, and NEXT.
Voluntary Action, Age Concern, and Talking Points East Renfrewshire are among the organisations already working with the Retail Trust to provide services from the hub and the charity is now calling on other community groups to make use of the space.
Lawrence Coen, MD of property and supported living at the Retail Trust, said, “Our new community hub has been designed to meet the needs of our residents and the wider community. We will welcome hundreds of people every year thanks to the grants we have secured to build the hub and the organisations providing services to the community from here.”
Gordon Cunningham, MD at Clark Contracts, added, “We were delighted to deliver yet another project within the Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate for Retail Trust. We hope that this new facility will be enjoyed by the residents and local community.”
