Muirhouse Millennium Centre celebrates its tenth birthday
Muirhouse Millennium Centre celebrated its tenth birthday last month with a series of events and exhibitions organised to mark the milestone. The Centre’s had its share of ups and downs in a turbulent ten year history, but the mood at the Millennium Centre is decidedly upbeat.
Over the course of a fun-filled week, centre patrons had the opportunity to participate in the latest dance fitness sensation in sessions with the Zumba Boys, and the Centre’s young disco dancers strutted their stuff in a dance demonstration on 10 August. A sports play day was held in Muirhouse Park on Friday and the week was brought to an end with a wine and cheese party on Friday, where friends of the Centre, old and new, got together to swop stories and reminisce.
Throughout the week there were a series of exhibitions; displays by Stepping Stones, Muirhouse Housing Association and 21st Century Homes and there was also a photographic exhibition of Muirhouse past, present and future highlighting the ongoing regeneration of the area.
Sandwiched among the week’s events was Muirhouse Millennium Centre’s annual general meeting, where guest speaker former Muirhouse councillor Lesley Hinds reflected on the Millennium Centre’s history. “Although I am no longer the councillor for this area because of boundary changes I have very fond memories of The Millennium Centre, and looking at some of the photographs on display brings those memories back. It was always clear that there was a need for a community centre like this at the heart of all of the regeneration that was taking place in the area, but local people had a long struggle and it was only achieved after years of hard work by committed people. While it’s sad that some of those people are no longer with us it’s good that some of the original members are here today, and it’s also good that the Centre is continuing to provide a much needed service for the local community. I would like to thank the staff, board and all of the volunteers who have contributed to the work of the Millennium Centre - happy birthday, and here’s to the next ten years!”
Tracy Stewart and Catherine Fee, two of the Millennium Centre’s original steering group, rejoined the board at the annual general meeting, alongside long-standing member Billy Anderson. Of the original 2000 team, John Davidson is also still there and Marjory Hanlon is now a Centre assistant.
Centre chairman Roy Douglas has been involved with the Millennium Centre for six years, and the AGM was his last meeting before he leaves to take up the manager’s post at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre later this month. He told members: “With reduced budgets we have been through some terrible times over the last year and the staff, in particular, and board have had to work really hard to maintain what we have and to keep our doors open. I would like to thank them for their real commitment. Partnership working is crucial to the longevity of this Centre and I would like to thank Children and Families Department and Muirhouse Housing Association for their continued support and the resources they bring that benefit this community. In the face of council cuts, partnership working will be the necessity to ensure that this centre can continue to flourish.”
Centre manager Peter Airlie added: “When I was putting together some of the photographs for the exhibition I couldn’t help thinking about some of the past members and friends who are no longer with us, community people who campaigned for the Centre and who continued to support the Centre. I also came across some of the pictures from our very successful summer playscheme programme, and I’d like to think that some of the happy kids who are in those pictures will be the people who will be campaigning for and supporting the Centre in ten years time. This is their centre.”
After years of campaigning for a local community centre for the people of Muirhouse, the Millennium Centre on Muirhouse Medway was finally built through a grant from North Edinburgh Social Inclusion Partnership and funding from the National Playing Fields Association’s Millennium Commission Fund. The £800,000 Centre was formally opened by local councillors Lesley Hinds and Elizabeth Maginnis on Friday 25 August 2000.
The new Centre did not get off to the ideal start, however, and almost from its earliest days the Millennium Centre was dogged by difficulties. Personality clashes and a breakdown in relations between staff and the centre’s voluntary management board hampered any real progress - a critical report in summer 2003 famously quoted one source as saying ‘the Centre is in danger of becoming a gang hut’.
The Centre closed temporarily to all but core user groups while a review of the organisation’s activities was undertaken, and there were fears that the Millennium Centre would have to close permanently. However following a number of staff departures and changes on the board, the Centre became fully operational again. A new facilities manager, Alex Studzinski, was appointed in May 2004 and with a fully committed board of directors, the Centre at last began to fulfil its potential and deliver a varied programme of activities for the local community - young and old. Pilton Partnership manager Ian Cooke supported the organisation through those difficult months, and he told the Millennium Centre’s June 2004 annual general meeting: “It has been a difficult year for the Centre and some serious problems have had to be addressed. I think community organisations need two things - a good manager or coordinator and a board that understands its roles and responsibilities. The board’s key role is to set the framework for the organisation and to give the manager the room to manage the day-to-day running of the project. I think lessons have been learned and hopefully the Millennium Centre’s problems are now behind it.”
The Centre did indeed put its problems behind it and became a vibrant local hub, with a popular cafe and an increasing number of groups using the centre. Centre membership continued to rise and the future looked bright when the Millennium Centre was dealt another serious blow. The introduction of the Fairer Scotland Fund in 2009 saw the Centre’s annual revenue grant slashed by over half - from over £107,000 to just £50,000. The scale of that cut brought the future of the centre into doubt once again, but the board and staff team worked up a survival plan. Working in collaboration with local partners - Community Learning and Development, North Edinburgh Arts Centre and Muirhouse Housing Association in particular - the Centre was able to develop and run a revised programme. The Centre also received a further boost this year when it was the only Forth organisation to see its Fairer Scotland Funding increase in 2010/11 - albeit by only £8000.
The wine and cheese party on 13 August offered an opportunity for friends of the centre to get together to reminisce, swop stories of past events and of characters who played such a huge role in the Centre’s history - sadly many of those stories cannot be shared in a family publication!
Opening the event, Forth councillor Cammy Day said: “It’s a pleasure for me to be here to join in the celebrations for the Millennium Centre’s tenth birthday. Over the years the Centre has gone from strength to strength despite having gone through many difficult times. I would like to thank the staff and board members for their commitment over these ten years.”
Former Pilton Partnership manager Ian Cooke added: “I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to making the Centre a success, and in particular pay tribute to two people who are no longer here - Maureen McMillan, who was involved from the very outset and did so much in this community, and Jenny Marrow, who put in an awful lot of work on the management committee during the Centre’s most difficult and challenging times. We are all facing difficult times again now - I’ve only spoken to one person tonight who knows they will still have a job after March next year - so it’s really good to see so many of the people who have supported the Centre from the start here tonight. That’s the core of the organisation, and it’s commitment of volunteers like this that’s going to help to keep the Centre going for the next ten or 20 years. Well done.”
John Davidson, who organised the week’s activities, said: “It was really great to see so many of our friends here tonight to celebrate the Centre’s tenth birthday - many of them are people who have supported us since the early days. It took years of real effort from this community to get the Millennium Centre built and it’s also been very hard work just to keep the centre going - I’m sure there were times when most people would have laughed if you said that the Centre would still be open in ten years. Over the years we’ve constantly had to face difficult challenges but we’re still here and we’re determined to continue to be a valued, independent resource at the heart of the Muirhouse community.”