Throsk Community Centre

Throsk Community Centre welcomes individuals, clubs, and groups to hire our versatile facilities for both one-time events and extended block bookings. Our amenities feature a spacious fully-matted sports hall, a smaller hall with a wooden floor, a boardroom/meeting room, and a well-equipped kitchen. Ideal for various functions and activities.

Feel free to reach out to us for pricing and availability by using the provided telephone and email details below:

Email: info@throskcommunityenterprises.org.uk

Tel: 07850 757524

https://www.facebook.com/ThroskCommunityCentre

About Throsk Community Enterprises

Throsk Community Enterprises SCIO operates on a not-for-profit basis and is a registered charity with OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator (Charity No: SC010856). We support Throsk and the surrounding area in every way we can. Our primary objective is to provide facilities and activities for the village of Throsk and neighbouring communities, in the interest of social welfare, recreation, and leisure, thereby enhancing the quality of life and health of its residents.

Purpose and Aims
The main objective is to provide facilities and activities for the village of Throsk in the interest of social welfare, recreation, and leisure, thereby improving the quality of life and health for its inhabitants.

Staff Roles and Remuneration
All staff are volunteers and receive no payment. Each member contributes time to committee and sub-committee meetings, as well as administrative and maintenance roles for the Community Centre.

Volunteers

We would be delighted to welcome any volunteers who are interested in helping with the management of the Hub. If you have any free time and would like to get involved, please do get in touch.

History of Throsk Community Centre

Throsk is by far the smallest of the four Eastern Villages of Stirlingshire, with fewer than 90 houses and approximately 350 inhabitants. Located one mile from Fallin and four miles from Stirling, the village’s residents have successfully made their voices heard within the district in recent years, primarily through the Community Centre.

History

The houses in Throsk were originally commissioned by the Admiralty in 1918 and later passed to the Ministry of Defence to house munitions workers and their families. German prisoners of war were used as the labour force, giving rise locally to the phrase “jerry-built.” When the nearby depot closed, the munitions workers left, and Stirling District Council purchased the houses in 1976. Young families, mostly overspill from Fallin, moved in, reporting inadequate and outdated wiring, a toilet in the kitchen, and general dilapidation.

Stirling District Council initiated a renovation scheme without tenant consultation, using an external construction firm. During the renovations, other structural issues came to light, including a complete lack of foundations and lintels. Complaints about shoddy workmanship were widespread: doors were used as ramps for wheelbarrows and concrete mixing boards, then rehung; toilet waste appeared in showers; and hot water flushed the toilets.

In response, the Throsk Tenants' Association was formed in 1981. They lobbied the Council to survey the condition of the houses post-renovation. Although the Council eventually commissioned an engineering firm for the survey, the Association was dissatisfied with their reports and had them dismissed. With the help of the Tenants Participation Advisory Service and Strathclyde University’s Architecture Department, the Association completed the report, which played a significant role in securing a programme of external maintenance.

When the MoD vacated Throsk in 1976, they removed their social club, leaving the village without any amenities - the nearest shop being in Fallin. The Council provided a football pitch and a small block of changing rooms at a cost of £16,000, despite Throsk never having had a football team. Tenant meetings were held in the changing rooms, and during bingo nights, the caller had to sit in the showers due to a lack of space.

Seeking a Community Centre, the Tenants requested funding from the Council and the use of a vacant industrial unit, but both were denied. They enlisted the help of the Secretary of the Council for Social Service (Scottish Office), who campaigned on their behalf. Eventually, they were offered a large portacabin-type building, which had become redundant at St Modan’s Secondary School in St Ninians, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

Given just one day to decide, the Committee faced the additional challenge of transporting the building five miles to a site provided by the Council in Throsk. They secured a £1,000 Small Projects Grant but received no help with the move from various departments or the army. As time ran out, the decision was made to handle the move themselves. After making appeals, they assembled a team of volunteers, two lorries, a forklift, and a crane lent by a local firm. Over one weekend, the building was split into eight parts, transported to its new site, and reassembled. The only professional tradesmen involved were electricians.

The Council later required the building to be moved again and paid the Association £2,000, which contributed towards a new roof, flooring, and glazing. However, work was far from complete, and it was only when the local councillor secured £8,000 from the Leisure and Recreation budget that the centre was finally ready. The Community Centre officially opened on 4th July 1987, followed by a community fair the next weekend to raise further funds.

Services

The local Management Committee, along with other unpaid volunteers, has attracted numerous services and facilities to the Centre.

These include:

• Regular councillor surgeries
• A local and national polling station
• Local newsletter group
• Community meetings, sporting events, and social activities for residents of all ages

Purpose and Aims
The main objective is to provide facilities and activities for the village of Throsk in the interest of social welfare, recreation, and leisure, thereby improving the quality of life and health for its inhabitants.

Staff Roles and Remuneration
All staff are volunteers and receive no payment. Each member contributes time to committee and sub-committee meetings, as well as administrative and maintenance roles for the Community Centre. Over the past 18 months, one of the major undertakings has been the design and funding of the new Centre project.

Note: This text was reproduced from the original material provided by the founding members and committee of the Throsk Community Centre.