Building community capacity in Douglas and Glespin

In 2024, several local stakeholder organisations approached Foundation Scotland to look at how community benefit funding could be used to bring dedicated development support into Douglas and Glespin.

The idea was already on the table: the Coalburn, Douglas and Glespin (CDG) Community Fund Panel, a group of residents who make decisions on funding applications, had recognised that local groups needed practical, hands-on help.

What followed was a genuinely collaborative piece of work to create a role of a Community Development Officer to fulfil this need. Foundation Scotland brought together Douglas Community Council, Douglas Community Development Company (DCDC), St Bride's Centre and the Douglasdale REAL Group to shape the role. The post was designed to serve the whole community. Together, they co-produced a proposal, which the CDG Panel went on to fund for an initial 18 months.

Healthy Valleys took on the role of host and employer. The role itself is guided by the Douglas and Glespin Community Action Plan 2024-2029 — so the priorities come directly from what local people want. A Stakeholder Reference Group, made up of the anchor organisations above, with representation also from Glespin Community Group, meets regularly to help steer the work and act as a sounding board. Katrina Buckley is the post-holder and is based day-to-day at St Bride's Centre in Douglas. 
The Community Development Officer has built a detailed picture of what already exists across Douglas and Glespin — the groups, services and activities running locally, and just as importantly, the gaps. Alongside this, a live directory of funding opportunities has been developed, bringing local and national sources together in one place with plain-English guidance on how to apply. For small groups that have often found funding processes daunting, this has taken away a lot of the mystery.

Relationships have been at the heart of the role. Steady, regular contact with community groups, partner organisations and individuals has built local trust and confidence. Groups supported to date include Douglas Valley Men's Shed, St Bride's Community Centre, Glespin Community Group, Glenbuck Football Academy, Douglasdale REAL Group, Douglas Senior Citizens, Douglas Crochet and Craft Group, Douglas Victoria Bowling Club and Douglas St Bride's Masons. The role has also supported Douglas Community Development Company (DCDC) on projects including a community travel pilot. Support offered by Katrina has ranged from funding applications and business planning through to governance, administration, reporting, and simply turning up to meetings to help things along.

That practical help has had a knock-on effect. Groups that were struggling to keep going have steadied. Others have been able to take ideas forward that would otherwise have stalled. Further evidence of the roles’ success is that groups keep coming back — and new ones keep getting in touch.

The role has also strengthened how the community works together. Regular Community Council meetings and the quarterly Stakeholder Reference Group have created space for shared learning, pooled expertise and better coordination. The post has supported a range of aspirational wider projects, including village regeneration, rural transport, community woodland and outdoor recreation, digital development, and a community-based health and wellbeing pilot delivered with the NHS Health Improvement Team.

Getting more voices heard is another important aspect of the role. Consultations have been taken out into the communities and venues - into the local primary school to reach parents, out to Glespin Community Hall for families with young children, and into multiple venues across the area for the rural transport project. The transport consultation was introduced during the Community Engagement Day at St Bride’s Centre and continued over the following weeks, allowing residents additional opportunities to share their views.  A consultation event is being planned at Glespin Community Hall in partnership with Glespin Community Group. The role has supported an online consultation to gather community views on the proposed playpark development.

A new community newsletter, delivered door to door, has been warmly received, with many residents describing it as something the area had been missing. A separate funding newsletter now keeps groups up to date on opportunities and training.

As the project progresses, there is a focus on passing skills on so that groups become less reliant on outside help. A training programme is being developed with VASLan, based on a needs analysis carried out with local groups. There will be a push on volunteering, tackling the familiar problem of too much resting on too few shoulders by making roles clearer and more manageable. Work also continues with the Douglas community website with DCDC, on the Glespin community engagement day, and on turning consultation findings into real pilot projects.

This project is evidence of the importance of collaborative working and that shared learning can have a significant and meaningful impact locally.

Read more about the Coalburn. Douglas and Glespin (CDG) Community Fund.