The Rockfield Centre is within reach!
Three years ago, Oban’s former Rockfield school teetered on the brink of demolition, writes Alison Chadwick, Oban Communities Trust.
The community came out in force to stop this happening and now it is within a midge’s whisker of being transformed into a bright, modern, cultural community hub.
Oban Communities Trust (OCT) was formed in 2015 and took ownership of the building. Volunteer groups immediately set to work to eradicate wet and dry rot, and save the building. Since then, the team has raised nearly £2 million towards refurbishment of what is now known as The Rockfield Centre.
At the first meeting in Oban Phoenix Cinema three years ago, the community identified four key themes for the Rockfield Centre:
Arts and culture; History and heritage; Enterprise and education; Community wellbeing. Taking the wishes of the community to the forefront of planning, OCT sourced funds to begin activities within all these sectors from the community huts in the centre grounds.
Since taking ownership in May 2015, 24,002 people have attended events and activities at The Rockfield Centre, volunteers have donated 10,767 hours of their time, and the centre has hosted 31 public heritage events, 58 public arts events and 32 creative workshops. And the centre has enabled 22 additional groups and enterprise per month to make use of this new resource. Local trades have also been extremely generous and donated more than £127,000 of services in kind to support the project.
A thriving part of the community
Activities at the centre already include ‘blether’ sessions, a camera club, a friendship club, children’s activities – including a baby disco and Lego club – and open mic nights, scratch choir, song-writing and music sessions, yoga and mindfulness, a community charity shop, heritage events, exhibitions, workshops, art and sewing classes, and a women’s group, to name but a few.
The huts provide light and welcoming meeting places for general hire as well as a space to be active and socialise. The centre is the base for the new Oban Food Assembly and has hosted a first vegan fair.
Volunteers are a vital component of the project, which, among other activity, has developed a heritage walking trail, a children’s play map of Oban and archive recordings of various Oban histories. The Rockfield Centre has engaged in partnerships and run joint events with Glasgow School of Art, the V&A Dundee and it has been the venue for the
Venice Biennale Festival of Architecture in Scotland.
It is also been the base for the Locating Lorne project with national artist Deirdre McKenna.
The centre has hosted live performances from award-winning musicians Saltfishforty, Kathryn Joseph and Ben Sunderland, Christ Stout and Catriona McKay, and acclaimed theatre companies Grid Iron and Mull Theatre. In partnership with Wurdplay, Scottish rapper Darren ‘Loki’ McGarvey has performed, as have Northern Irish poet Rachel McCrum and Booker Prize-winning author James Kelman.
When the main building refurbished, it will offer:
An inclusive, friendly community hub with a creative buzz – a place to enjoy, meet, create, engage and feel part off, a canteen, free wifi, local arts and crafts, a gallery and shop, a place for dropins, chat, catch up, or a quiet corner to relax in;
All-weather heritage attractions, activities and messy space;
Family history research space, exhibits and memories with voices from the past;
Space to be creative – arts and music workshops, exhibitions and live performances;
A place for small business to share work spaces, be creative and grow new ideas;
Training opportunities and working in partnership with Argyll College and UHI;
A space to support our ‘wellbeing’ offering support groups, yoga, mindfulness, tai chi, other therapies;
A community charity shop;
A venue that opens doors to help young and old to learn, enjoy and be part of for many generations to come. The aim of the centre is to create a centre of excellence for Oban and its communities – that will be a magnet of attraction for locals and visitors.
With a focus on wet weather facilities and the variety of things to do, The Rockfield Centre will play a pivotal part in attracting and keeping visitors in the town and will be an essential part of marketing Oban as a destination.
The centre will work in association with other tourist attractions forming networking partnerships and play a significant part in boosting the local economy through increased spend in the area and, importantly, the accommodation sectors.
This project will make a difference to the lives of many in our community and support both young and old to be active and involved in their centre.
The cost to refurbish the school will be £3 million. With a funding package in place and £2 million already committed Oban Communities Trust is now on the final push to reach the target needed.