Build community wealth

Heritage assets for community benefit, Stonehaven

The Stonehaven Sheriff Court originally built in 1767 and a prominent historic building in the heart of Stonehaven, was at risk of closure.  One of 10 local sheriff courts to close under the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (SCTS) rationalisation plan.

The Court House closed its door in 2016 and without a clear plan for continued community benefit, this central building might have been lost as a cultural and civic asset. The challenge was to preserve the building’s heritage while creating practical opportunities for the local community.

Whilst there was commercial interest in the building, the Stonehaven Town Partnership began discussions on transferring ownership of the important asset both with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and with the wider community. Through community open days and gathering feedback from local groups and organisations – a strength of the Stonehaven Town Partnership – it was overwhelmingly obvious that the community wanted ownership.

To make the case, they focused on promoting financial viability and the building’s value to the community and produced a detailed plan highlighting sustainable uses for the building. Those included:

• Preserving the former courtroom as a heritage space to celebrate the building’s history
• Providing flexible spaces for the community and business
• Offering opportunities for creative projects and collaborations

Following a three year process and a £2 payment, the community transfer to Stonehaven Town Partnership was successful in 2018. Renovations have begun with a mixture of grant funding (Aberdeenshire Council, LEADER) and a loan from Social Investment Scotland.  

Tenants for the office spaces are in situ with the space now accommodating the Citizens Advice Bureau and a number of third-sector and start up organisations. The demand for the space has been realised and could be tenanted three times over.

The court room has been preserved and is put to good use by community groups and businesses to hold meetings and events. A real community draw is their ‘fish and chip’ nights at The Courthouse.

Whilst successful and meeting community needs, the community’s ownership of the Courthouse is not without its challenges. Maintaining and developing an historic asset, funding and resource limitations alongside volunteer fatigue are very real challenges in Stonehaven and for many communities across Scotland.  Organisations such as Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action, Development Trust Association Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and the local authority often provide guidance, funding and support in these areas.

The community spirit is very much alive however and Stonehaven provides a strong example of community cohesion with local groups supporting one another’s efforts to provide a thriving environment for business, the community and visitors alike.

This Stonehaven Town Partnership project has combined heritage preservation with active community use to deliver long term and sustained benefits for both the town and its community.

In 2024, Possilpark Business Improvement District rebranded as Positive Possil.  This is more inclusive of the businesses within Saracen Street and the wider environs.  It also reflects the long-standing aspirations to make the area flourish.

By strengthening the local economy and keeping wealth circulating within Possilpark, the BID not only creates a voice for business but advances community aspirations and creates opportunity which wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

Positive Possil engages with local businesses through a range of individual and informal meetings and ‘Meet the Traders’ events that brings local businesses together to focus on improvements to the area for the benefit of the community. This has allowed traders to get to know one another better and to discuss shared issues and resolutions.

The BID will also be working with more entrepreneurs when the new Social Entrepreneur Centre Possilpark opens the  doors in Saracen Street later in 2026, all of this is establishing Possilpark as a place to live, work and do business.

Positive Possil has focussed on the vital role of partnerships; public, private and community to impact positively on the aims set out within their business plan. Previous work has included shop front improvement programmes, creating a collective business voice, providing networking and training opportunities, and promoting local traders through marketing, events and a business directory.

Not to mention building on relationships and knowledge exchange with Police Scotland to jointly work on solutions, improving the area’s cleanliness and attractiveness and helping to increase footfall through campaigns and events.

Ongoing strategic partnership aims are to work alongside Glasgow City Council on their overall street lighting strategy, tackle environmental issues and work with businesses and traders on events and activities to encourage more footfall in the area.

A strong example of ‘partners in action’ is evidenced through the ‘Festive Lighting’ programme.  It was some years since Possilpark had festive street crosslights due to wear and tear damage taking place in previous years.  There was a desire by businesses and community alike for new crosslights to be installed and once again have pride of place in Saracen Street bringing the community together.

When a call went out to local business, Allied Vehicles they quickly agreed to donate £10,000 towards the cost of three new crosslights, two projectors and the Christmas Tree.  This was further supported by ng homes who provided on-site support with installation issues.  Without the support of these local organisations, Possilpark would have been without crosslights for another year.

In addition to this, Positive Possil, applied for the first time to Glasgow City Council Area Committee fund to support a wide range of activities to support a full festive programme for the community. All food and refreshments were purchased from local businesses.

Positive Possil and BIDs across the country build community wealth by strengthening local businesses, increasing local spending, and creating a more attractive and prosperous place to live, work and visit. Through collective investment, BIDs are improving the local environment, enhancing safety and creating opportunity for businesses and the community.

Getting support to people, and keeping spend in the community

When the cost-of-living crisis hit in 2022, local authorities across Scotland were looking for ways to get financial support to low-income households – quickly and fairly. At the same time, town centres and local businesses were still finding their feet after the pandemic. Glasgow City Council found a way to tackle both problems at once, using the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card as the mechanism.

What is the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card?

Launched in 2021 and led by Scotland’s Towns Partnership with support from the Scottish Government, the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is a pre-loaded spending card tied to a specific local authority area. Each of Scotland’s 32 council areas has its own dedicated card, and crucially, the cards can only be spent with local businesses registered to accept them – not with online retail giants or out-of-area chains.

That’s what makes them different. The card combines well-known high street names with independent local businesses, giving recipients genuine choice while keeping spend circulating within the local economy.

Glasgow City Council’s unique approach

In the summer of 2022, Glasgow City Council distributed Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Cards worth £105 to 85,000 low-income households – those in receipt of a Council Tax Reduction. Funding came via a £9.45 million Covid Economic Recovery package awarded to the council by the Scottish Government. There was no application process: entitlement was automatic, with households identified through council tax data and gift cards delivered directly to their homes.

More than 700 businesses – including shops, places to eat, salons, and visitor attractions – signed up to accept the cards. Recipients could spend on food, clothing, household essentials, or family activities; whatever they needed most.

The results

One year on from the cards being distributed, over £7.59 million had been spent in Glasgow businesses. That’s a substantial, measurable injection into the local economy –  money that, under a different model, might have gone to an online retailer with no connection to the city.

For businesses, the impact was tangible. Many reported that word of mouth quickly brought card holders to the door and the process for businesses to sign up was simple and straightforward.

Why this approach works

Two things stand out about how Glasgow used the gift card. First, the practicality: because eligibility was determined automatically through existing council tax data, the right households received support without having to navigate an application process. That’s important – as it removes barriers and ensures the people who need help most actually get it.

Secondly, and perhaps just as importantly, it is a fair and dignified process. Because the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is widely available for anyone to buy and use, recipients could spend their cards without being identified as receiving financial support. As Scotland’s Towns Partnership noted at the time, it’s a card that lets people spend with dignity.

Takeaways…

If you’re a local authority looking for a practical way to direct support to lower-income residents while keeping money on the high street, the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card offers a ready-made mechanism. It’s now been used as a vehicle for numerous sectors – by Universities, the NHS, local authorities, and as a disbursement vehicle for funds generated by local wind farm agreements. The infrastructure already exists, there’s a card for every local authority area in Scotland, and the Glasgow experience shows it can be delivered at scale and at pace.

For businesses, registering to accept the card is straightforward and opens you up to a wider pool of local spend. And for community organisations, it’s worth knowing this tool exists and advocating for its use when councils are looking at how best to deploy financial support.

The lesson from Glasgow is simple: when public funds are used thoughtfully, they can do more than one job at once – supporting people, strengthening businesses, and building a more resilient local economy at the same time. For more information, visit lovelocal.scot/giftcard.

Dunbar Community Bakery was set up by the local community development trust, Sustaining Dunbar, over a two-year period from 2009 to 2011. Since then, it has been baking artisan and traditional breads, patisserie and savouries, selling through its High Street shop and cafe (a former newsagent) and wholesale. The team also produces for local schools and those in need in the community, runs bread and patisserie courses, ensures zero food waste by donating unsold products, and sources local ingredients where possible.

Turnover has steadily increased from just under £50,000 in 2011 to almost £250,000 pre-pandemic, now employing 6 full-time bakers and 4 part time assistants A core group of volunteers provide a reliable workforce of regular drivers for daily deliveries. Volunteers are also essential to the bakery’s presence at major community and tourism events, when local businesses are able to have market stalls. And the whole operation is of course led by a strong volunteer management committee of 5, who are focussed on creating employment and bringing life to the high street.

The bakery was one of the first community businesses in Scotland to be established by local residents via a community share offer, supported by the Plunkett Foundation. During the two-year setup period, shareholders grew to over 300 people who invested more than £40,000 into the project. Ten years on, the bakery has over 1,000 shareholders who continue to provide funding in the form of donations and loans to support ongoing maintenance costs such as shop refurbishment.

Unfortunately in February 2026 a fire broke out at the bakery and the community are working hard to raise funds to restore this important community asset.

One of the most historic buildings on the isle of Cumbrae, Garrison House in Millport has been part of the island’s heritage since it was originally built in the 1700s to stop smuggling on the Clyde. Following a major fire in 2001, the building became a derelict eyesore – right on the seafront at one end of the high street. The local community quickly formed Cumbrae Community Development Company with the purpose of restoring Garrison House for the benefit of the whole community, raising over £5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, North Ayrshire Council, Historic Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund. Renovations were completed in 2008.

The end result is a complete transformation providing a vibrant hub of activities in Millport for locals and visitors alike. The Garrison is the focal point of the island, containing a mix of facilities which also help to support businesses along the adjacent high street:

• GP surgery and NHS services
• Library and public internet access
• Museum of the Cumbraes
• Garrison House Café
• Craft shop
• Rooms for community groups and activities
• Council offices

But the community hasn’t stopped there. Renovation of Garrison House has given them the confidence and energy to achieve more. Subsequent projects have included a £400,000 business centre in the Garrison grounds, funded by the Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund – and many other community-led visitor, business and heritage projects elsewhere on the island. Meanwhile, work continues to improve Garrison House, focussing most recently on making more of the extensive wooded grounds – effectively a town centre park – for residents and visitors.

The Magnum Leisure Centre in Irvine was renowned throughout the West of Scotland. When it was opened in 1975 it was the largest leisure centre in Europe, with a million visitors a year coming for skating, boxing, bowls, dog shows and gigs from Chuck Berry to The Clash. Thirty years later, tastes had changed and visitor numbers had dropped hugely.

When North Ayrshire Council took the difficult decision to close the Magnum in 2009, they also decided that its replacement should be in the heart of the town centre: a redevelopment of the historic 1860s Townhouse and surrounding land on the High Street. Ten years later, the new £20m leisure centre has opened, breathing new life into the town centre and conserving valuable heritage for the future.

The new centre, Irvine Portal, was completed in 2017. The complex includes:

• 25m competition pool
• Teaching pool
• Fitness suite
• Studios
• Public café and lounge
• Courtyards and a garden
• A foyer for exhibitions and meetings
• New public realm on the High Street

The facilities not only provide state-of-the-art indoor sports facilities for the town, but also cater for local and family history, art exhibitions, and community and cultural events. All areas are fully accessible for wheelchair users and those with a disability. All this right in the heart of the town centre, with excellent public transport links, accessible to the whole community.