13/05/2026 Quotation received to have old Miners Club building cleared of asbestos and other toxic substances, as required prior to demolition. Clearance work to be completed by end June 2026. Target date for demolition: end December 2026

22/04/2026 We contact the Valuation Joint Board proposing that Waterside Miners Club’s rateable value be reassessed, since the building is derelict and a liability rather than an asset

13/04/2026 Letter issued by EDC showing the rateable value of the derelict Waterside Miners Club has risen from £10,200 to £26,000, meaning the portion of non-domestic rates that the charity is required to pay will increase. The charity has been negotiating with EDC for over a year to be given total charity exemption from non-domestic rates liability – the building is unusable and not providing revenue. Without this exemption, the charity has to fundraise just to pay the EDC rates bill, when all our current fundraising efforts would be better targeted on demolition

Also: Meeting arranged with EDC Community Planning and Partnerships to discuss potential grants for the project and to clarify timescales from demolition through planning to construction of the new hub

31/03/2026 Five-year Business Plan update is completed with the help of Arniston Consulting. It covers the costs of the project through to cash flow predictions once the hub is operational

31/03/2026 A draft community Local Place Plan for the wider Waterside area (based on the Three Wishes and Place Standard surveys) goes out for consultation. It includes many references to the pressing need for a community hub on the site of the former Waterside Miners Club

17/03/2026 The charity’s fifth AGM takes place

17/02/2026 Unoccupied summer bat roost at club is successfully removed with the help of Reigart Contracts Ltd and Wild Surveys Ltd. Wild Surveys are there to locate the roost (and ensure safe handling of any live and injured bats – there aren’t any) as well as to select a suitable location for a new roost. Identifying the old roost location involves soaring over the club on a raised platform and looking for bat droppings and signs of activity. The roost turns out to be behind the fascia boards. Wild Surveys will also help with licence paperwork for NatureScot

Alternative pipistrelle accommodation is successfully erected in a sunny spot

Once the bats are sorted, Reigart moves on to an asbestos survey (which they complete) as the building must be asbestos-free before demolition

23/01/2026 Members of the charity are delighted to attend St Ninian’s High School YPI charity fair and to answer excellent questions from 3rd-year students about our project. Excitingly, some say they’ll vote to support the Waterside Community Hub project with funding. However, competition is fierce, with a good number of important charities represented at the fair and others taking part from afar. A big thank you to staff and students at St Ninian’s for this wonderful opportunity.

14/01/2026 Demolition go-ahead from NatureScot: we now have the required licence for removal of bat roost! Licence Number 309873

12/01/2026 Bats are on our minds again as we supply our species protection plan from Starling Learning to NatureScot (which is assessing our club demolition plan) showing our proposal for alternative accommodation for the soprano pipistrelles who would normally set up a roost in the club in the summer. As there isn’t space on the main site to provide bat boxes, we’ll be installing some in the woodland area between the car park and the Luggie, while celebrating CALA’s erecting so many on the neighbouring Weaver’s Brae site

06/01/2026 A very welcome invitation comes in from St Ninian’s High School to take part in their Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) charity fair on 23 January, which could lead to support for our community hub project

Funding applications for a Waterside Community Hub continue.

21/12/2025 Nails by Stacey and Archies Deli put on a Santa’s grotto and mini fair, with proceeds coming to the Waterside Community Hub project. Huge thanks to them (and all their kind helpers) for doing this and for raising a fantastic £227.50 for us!

15/12/2025 We apply to Nature Scotland to allow demolition works early in 2026 while bats are still hibernating elsewhere and before pipistrelles set up a summer nursery roost in the club.

Also in December: Funding applications for the project continue.

18/11/2025 CD Architects’ model of our proposed Waterside Community Hub was the exciting highlight of our monthly meeting.

And at the end of the month came news of a very generous donation from AIS Vanguard. Huge thanks to them!

• Meanwhile, we’re preparing a presentation for GRACE Sharing Time at the EDVA office (18 Townhead, Kirkintilloch) at 12 o’clock on Wednesday 3 September. We’re enormously looking forward to networking with representatives of local support and recovery services there and councillors, and sharing our news. Thank you, GRACE.