Plans for Flexible Childcare Services Scotland’s new Community Hub can continue thanks to £500k funding from Scottish Government’s RCGF (Regeneration Capital Grant Fund).
The news will allow the charity to start the second phase of the redevelopment of the old Fintry nursery.
Phase 1 of the project; to create a new childcare centre delivering accessible, affordable, high-quality early learning and childcare; has already begun with the renovation of the first and second floors of the ten-year derelict property.
Phase 2 will see the renovation of the outbuildings, transforming them into a Community Hub for the local community. The new Community Hub will introduce a number of new initiatives to the Fintry area including the creation of a workshop, a vegetable garden and a tool library which will be freely available for the local community.
Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS) also plan to create a purpose built two story office space which can be used to conduct training days and learning opportunities such as repair, reuse and recycle sessions, first aid training and other initiatives aimed at solving societal challenges such as loneliness, social inclusion and food poverty.
According to Lesley Tait, Head of Childcare Services at Flexible Childcare Services Scotland:
“This project will restore, what was, a beautiful local building which will be used to provide early years and school age childcare as well as a range of services that promote self-help and community resilience. The garden space, for instance, will benefit the whole community including local children who can use the space outside of opening hours, as well as the children using our service, many of whom do not have access to gardens and garden equipment. Therefore, the children will not only benefit from learning how to grow their own food but also learning about nature and our natural environment.”
To ensure that the needs of the local community were being addressed, FCSS spoke to the local community who identified a need for flexible childcare as many parents were unable to take up employment due to a lack of high quality, flexible, accessible & affordable childcare.
The need for wrap around community services was identified through stakeholder feedback, local partnerships, and FCSS’s involvement with the Social Innovation Partnership. These groups identified a lack of green space and community activities for families and older people.
Although based in the Fintry area of Dundee this spectrum of services, led by FCSS’s community stakeholder groups, will attract families from other areas of the city, particularly from across the North East Local Community Plan area.
Tait continued:
“We support Dundee City Council’s aim to place local communities at the heart of regeneration in Dundee and work closely with members of the local community planning partnership. Our work supports the Scottish Government’s goal to be “the best place to grow up”, this project will be an exemplar facility for local authorities, childcare providers, and community groups across the country as it will be the first the first, fully inclusive, childcare and wraparound community hub service in Tayside.”
