In what could one day be a suburb of an ever-growing Elgin, a local community hub is helping ‘link’ locals together.
The Link is working to fill the gap in the underrepresented New Elgin area by opening their first community-led space.
Since opening back in November, the team at the Link said it has been a slow start, but now the centre is gathering local support.
The are giving the community the reins and plenty of creative freedom to build the community hub they want to see.
The P&J went to visit the Link, and found:
- What the Link has in mind for the community
- Overcoming the ‘slow start’
- Experiences of the Knit and Natter group
- Upcoming plans for Easter and beyond
What are the link’s goals?
The Link is clear in their headline ambition: A New Elgin, Ashgrove and Pinefield community hub providing a space to support and engage people of all ages.
They host weekly events and drop-in sessions, led by community input from their Southfield Drive location.
Their intention is to continue to build a community of regular visitors who will lead the direction of the Link’s future to support vulnerable people and families.
Overcoming a ‘slow start’
Since opening with an initial buzz back in November, Employability Team Manager Amy Cruickshank and the volunteer team behind the project agreed it was a slow start in building community interest.
Amy Cruickshank said the community can sometimes struggle to move forward local ideas.
But this is where the Link hopes to come in and be able to help realise some of those ideas.
The link now has 15 active volunteers who regularly give up their time to engage with the local community, which is building into an ever-growing number of regular attendees.
A Living room feel
Groups coming in for a blether wanted a “living room feel” – which was a challenge for the team in trying to shake off the ex-retail unit vibe.
Recent evening sessions for the ‘Creative Horizons’ project have been heralded as “absolutely brilliant”.
Other community requests, such as a pool table and gaming/VR tech are hoping to come to the Link soon to supplement the growing number of sessions and events.
Knit and natter – a first for New Elgin
The P&J sat down with the Knit and Natter group, who meet on Wednesdays, to find out what they enjoy about visiting the Link.
The group work together on various knitting projects to donate to charity including blankets for hospitals and hats for the seafarers mission.
Knit and natter regular Ruth commented the Link feels like “a mini community centre.”
“You feel you are helping somebody else, it makes you feel good and you’ve got a purpose,” said Ruth.
One member, Emma, attends the group during her lunch break and values being able to “fit in a bit better” with her local community.
Keen knitter Addie said: “I love meeting new people, and I love coming here as well.”
Another knitter added: “It’s nice to have something local, as it takes a fair bit to get into town whereas you can just walk up here.”
For the group, it’s been a positive that plans for the Link have been community led, rather than organisations such as the council stepping in before the interest is there.
Easter at the Link
Local mum and Link volunteer Amy Lennon took the P&J through what the Link is planning for Easter.
She said the different themed days will provide “something for every generation and every person to come along and do”.
“A lot of things for kids stop in the holidays.”
She particularly values the family drop in sessions and as a mum, she felt “it was really important to meet other parents”.
The upcoming Easter break could be featuring any number of these events:
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Make it Monday – Crafts
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Family and open drop-in sessions
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Creative horizons – youth sessions running for the next 5 weeks involving DJing, video editing and 3D art
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Tabletop Tuesday – hosting a variety of games including chess
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Knit and natter
For full details keep an eye on the Link’s Facebook page.
What next?
The Link plans to gauge how well Easter’s events are received before making any concrete plans for the future.
The team did suggest street football and making use of the Thornhill pitch could be an option in the future.
They also hope to eventually build closer ties with organisations like Moray College and local schools.
P7 youth groups could interest children who don’t want to return to school in the evenings.
In the longer term, the Link intend to offer training and employability support.
The Link believes they are turning the centre into a beacon of community action for an unrepresented part of Elgin.
Conversation