Building a better future one community at a time

Attempted theft of a church, a Town Hall and a police station.

Public spaces all over Scotland are being lost to private developers. The Church of Scotland is selling off hundreds of buildings, Police Scotland is doing the same. Portobello in Edinburgh is an example of this happening but also may be setting an example for how to respond.

First the Church of Scotland decided to close two of its three churches in Portobello. 

This meant these places of gathering – including church halls sustaining innumerable community groups, activities and celebrations – would vanish. The community managed to save one – the Old Parish Church at Bellfield – but the other has vanished into high end one-million-pound homes. The Church refused to sell Bellfield to us so we had to invoke the Community Right to Buy, and mobilise huge support in the community and financial support from the Scottish Land Fund, to save the church building and halls at Bellfield.  

Image Credit: Edward Ross

Then Edinburgh Council closed the Town Hall – a much bigger venue. The community managed to organise itself to take over running the building on a lease from the council, and like Bellfield, the Town Hall relies on a combination of voluntary and paid workers.

Soon Police Scotland – having decided to sell Portobello Police Station – will decide whether or not to accept the community’s request for a Community Asset Transfer of the Police Station into community hands. This is an iconic building in the heart of Portobello. It was our Town Hall, our library, our fire and police station. It was paid for by the citizens of Portobello in the 19th century.

None of these buildings should be lost from the public realm. It is strange that the community should have to pay for buildings we already paid to build. Losing any of them diminishes our ability to sustain and be a community, to thrive as a community.

“When you build more roads, you get more traffic.

When you create more community spaces, 

you get more community”

When churches were the living and breathing heart of our communities, they were not one-day-a-week quiet places. They were loud and busy with events every day of the week. Like the churches of old, current community spaces need to consider their neighbours not by tiptoeing away but by engaging and trying to help their neighbourhoods thrive. 

We think of churches as quiet backwaters only because that is what they became as congregations fell away, but they were paid for by the funds raised by local people, and as recently as the 1960s the inhabitants of Portobello raised the money to build church halls in the grounds of the Old Parish Church at Bellfield.

If paying for buildings the community already paid to build feels wrong, paying to vastly improve them feels absolutely right and can bring us together to continue to shape a positive future  . . . 

The good news: Bellfield is in safe hands and can thrive with your help

Since acquiring Bellfield in 2017, Action Porty has turned the former Old Parish Church into a bustling community hub. Today, Bellfield is a place where nearly 30,000 people come together each year, building connections, learning new skills, and creating memories. It hosts 26 community groups and organisations, offering 38 activities and classes weekly, alongside other events, performances, and celebrations. 

Photo credit: Jon Davey

“What happens here? Everything! Life events – weddings, memorials, kids’ parties, a whole host of different workshops and classes and activities. People coming together to do something they’re passionate about – it’s the beating heart of the community”.

Action Porty is a community benefit society owned by its members, and we have now secured planning permission to progress Bellfield’s Big Build to transform Bellfield.  

We aim to transform the Celebration Hall (the old church building) into a spacious, versatile and accessible two-level building. There will be a new upper floor for events, weddings, workshops and performances, with a lift to make it accessible, and the ground floor will have new flexible and accessible meeting spaces, with new toilets, and a new kitchen.

Although this will cost £780k, if we can raise £200k (or more!) through our community share issue, then we can unlock a capital grant of £450k towards this from the Community Ownership Fund, as well as a further £130k from other funders. 

Community shares are a powerful way for local supporters and well-wishers from further afield to invest directly in the future of Bellfield. When you buy a community share, you’re making a withdrawable, non-transferable investment in community well-being, with the potential for a small annual dividend after a few years. This share issue will provide the essential capital for the development of Bellfield and help unlock further funding. 

“I had my mother’s funeral here; I’ve spent pivotal moments of my life in this building – happy or sad, joyous or full of anguish, this building has housed all those emotions”

A community share issue isn’t just about money – it’s about showing that we believe in the power of people coming together for the greater good. When Action Porty acquired Bellfield for the community, we were blown away by the incredible support we received from the community here and from well-wishers further afield. Now, we’re asking you to rise to the challenge once again. Together, we can achieve more – because this isn’t just about a building, it’s about showing that we can build a stronger, more connected future for all of us. 

Buy your shares here: https://www.bellfield.scot/buy-shares