The Bowling Green Together Secure Funding for Beloved Community Greenspace
The Bowling Green Together, a community group set up to protect The Pollokshields Bowling Green, received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund after securing the lease for the space over the summer.
Image courtesy of The Bowling Green Together CIC.
By Devon McCole
The Pollokshields Bowling Green site was once home to The Kingston Bowling Club, which was abandoned and left to rot in 2011. The old club sat empty for years and was later set alight by an unknown arsonist. Residents were pained by the eye-sore it had become and rallied to reclaim the derelict site.
With the help of The Pollokshields Trust in 2016, the community finally recovered the space, fixed it up and put it to good use once again. During the pandemic The Bowling Green thrived, being one of the only outdoor spaces in the area open to the public at that time.
Soon it became abundantly clear just how important the space was for residents’ mental health and well-being, with many people using it as a social hub or after school club for their children. Earlier this year, however, The Pollokshields Trust were forced to limit the use of The Bowling Green.
This caused a stir as residents feared the worst. After years of running The Bowling Green it seemed The Pollokshields Trust were struggling to keep the space open due to a lack of funding, like so many other organisations in the social sector that were affected by the cost of living crisis.
Image courtesy of The Bowling Green Together CIC.
Because of the uncertain circumstances surrounding The Bowling Green at that time, a group of local people previously involved in the space - including some former employees and volunteers at The Bowling Green - came together and founded a community group of their own, The Bowling Green Together.
In July, it was announced that the newly founded community group would be taking over the space after securing a five year lease from United Wholesale Ltd, now their landlord.
Fatima Uygun, board member of the Pollokshields Trust said: “Since 2016, the Pollokshields Trust, along with the Pollokshields community, established a beautiful green common. Now at the end of our tenure, we’re delighted that another community group has taken it on to continue our legacy.”
Now, after a weeks closure during the handover, The Pollokshields Bowling Green has reopened under new management.
Tabassum Niamat, Founder and Executive Director of The Bowling Green Together said: “When we got the lease and the funding it was so affirming. For me, it was a sign that this project is something that people have faith in. This place has so much potential, we’ve seen it progress from being a patch of gravel to a beautiful greenspace and that progress is something we want to continue.
“We are all volunteers at The Bowling Green Together and we do what we do because we are invested in The Bowling Green emotionally. During the pandemic, for example, I had people come up to me and say this place was like a lifeline for them and some of those people are now volunteering with us. It’s been the heart of our community.”
Tabassum and the rest of the volunteers at The Bowling Green Together are now taking care of some housekeeping and making sure The Bowling Green is ready for upcoming seasonal events. The Bowling Green has again entered a new chapter, and for now it will remain in the hands of the community for the foreseeable future.
To stay up-to-date with The Bowling Green follow The Bowling Green Together on Instagram @bowlinggreentogethercic or visit their website at www.bowling-green-together.co.uk