Band’s ambitious plans to take over historic former school building in Kirkcaldy
A historic former school building in Kirkcaldy could be brought back into use if ambitious plans from a long-established community band come to fruition.
Dysart Colliery Silver Band wants to make the Glebe Park Centre its permanent home, and is working with Fife Council on a Community Asset Transfer (CAT).
The band has forged a partnership with Kirkcaldy Gaming Society in an ambitious move to turn the centre, which has sat empty since it was last used as a COVID vaccine centre, into a community hub.
The B-listed historic building was built as East Primary School and later became St Marie's School. More recently it operated as a community centre, and, earlier this year, was the subject of a possible base for Kirkcaldy Foodbank before it found new premises at Fife Council’s Park Road facility.
Built in 1876 and extended 1889 and 1895, it is an imposing gothic style building - one that could become a hub open to a number of community groups to use.
The silver band currently meets in St Bryce Kirk, but has been searching for a permanent home of its own at a time when it is busier than ever. It recently performed for King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their visit to the Lang Toun, and last week was part of the town’s presentation to the Britain In Bloom judges, and filmed by BBC’s The One Show.
Fiona Dick, chair and trustee, said: “It is a very big proposition for us, but it would be brilliant to get into the centre. It could mean the building would have more extensive use which is good - that benefits the community and other groups.”
The band is one of Scotland’s oldest, having been established in 1880 as Dysart Town Band.
Fiona explained: “This has been many years in the making. The band has been looking for a permanent home for a number of years since we moved out of the community centre in Dysart
“We have had a number of temporary homes, and are currently at St Bryce Kirk which has been fantastic, but we have three bands now operating, and are in desperate need of more space, more storage and more flexibility so we can continue to grow.
“We have been looking around for a long time and always consider a community asset transfer, and actually looked at Glebe Park a few years ago Our concern then was it was too big for what we needed at that point.
“I know the foodbank looked at it and it was just too big a project for them, but we went back for another look with fresh eyes and thought if we were able to operate it as more of a community hub and be able to use the extra space then it could be an ideal property.” During that phase, Kirkcaldy Gaming Society came on its radar as it was also looking for a permanent base - it currently operates out of The Hive, the town’s LGBT hub in Whytescauseway.
Added Fiona: “We spoke about what we were both looking for and it felt like a good partnership.
“It would allow us to open the centre as a community hub, and provide some spaces for local groups and activities such as crafts.” Before then, however, there is a lot of work to be done, within the building in need of some key repairs after lying empty for so long.
“We know the extent of the repairs to be done, with the roof a priority, and the gutters and downpipes. We are working with an architect to put together a schedule,” said Fiona.
“It is a huge project to understand what a building of that age and size needs, and we have people within the band who have property maintenance and management experience.
“We would love to do something to bring it back into use because the town has lost a lot of its historic buildings. It would be a crime if another one was lost.”
A community asset transfer could take up to 12 months to complete, but the band is hopeful it can secure the necessary permissions to get in and start work in the coming months. It has also conducted a survey to get feedback from the community about its plans - and is keen to answer any questions anyone might have. The responses also form part of its formal reason to the local authority.
Added Fiona: “We are looking to hear from people with suggestions or questions, and are more than happy to talk through what we are doing and our plans for the future.”
> Contact the band via its Facebook page - search for Dysart Colliery Silver Band