Castlemilk Wellbeing Hub – Hope for the Future

This spotlight article on Castlemilk Wellbeing Hub highlights that the reasons why it so important for community organisations to exist are the same reasons why it can be so challenging to sustain them successfully.

Castlemilk Wellbeing Hub (CWH) was set up in 2024 by Tracey Dillon, a Castlemilk resident with business and community activist experience who wanted to help address the challenges faced by the Castlemilk community.

Setting up in a three-story unit in the local shopping centre, Tracey and her colleague Andrew have developed a range of activities and sessions over the past year or more aimed at promoting physical, mental, and social health. This includes yoga and other wellbeing support, training and social activities.

Tracey herself is a wellbeing coach and hypnotherapist, and interest which developed after taking measures to benefit her own wellbeing. There came a point in her life when Tracey found herself asking: “how can I be in good health if this is how I feel?”. From then, Tracey found herself wanting to learn more about meditation, how the mind works and therapy.

The driving ethos behind the hub is to provide a friendly, welcoming environment where people can make social connections, build confidence and develop skills – a place where people can get involved, in other words. This is based on a recognition that these are the building blocks to strengthening the community, making it more resilient, empowered and in a better position to have influence over what happens locally.

Often, the reasons why community organisations exist are the same reasons why it is so challenging to sustain them successfully. People living in a community experiencing poverty and health inequalities are more likely than those in affluent communities to face a range of barriers to participation, from time and resources to skills and confidence. This can make it harder to set up and sustain a board to run the organisation, recruit staff and volunteers and to bring in funding and support.

In addition to experiencing these challenges, CWH have found it difficult to find suitable premises to use as a base and to deliver their activities in. Castlemilk is very limited in terms of building to use. The disused unit they currently operate from is in poor condition, with inadequate heating and other facilities.

Ideally, CWH and other community groups would be able to make better use of Castlemilk Community Centre. However, this is currently needing redevelopment, which the community has been informed would cost around £3m. If community does want to do anything they have to wait for Glasgow City Council to organise for the work to be done using companies on their supplier list. Tracey notes that, in addition to taking a long time, this is often more expensive than if the community could organise the work to be done themselves.

Furthermore, Tracey points out that a new off-license has been approved nearby, adding to the numerous off-licenses which already exist in an area where people are already experiencing adverse impacts of health inequalities. Noting the high number of off-licenses and betting shops locally, she observes:

“All you need to do is look at what’s allowed to happen here that wouldn’t be allowed to happen in other areas.”

Starting in 2026, Castlemilk is one of the chosen areas for the UK Government’s Pride In Place programme, which will provide up to £20m over ten years with a board being set to oversee the fund. Tracey hopes that the community will be able to shape how this money is used as so many initiatives have come and gone over the years without benefiting the community. A good starting point for her would be for the programme board to be primarily made up from people in the community.

However, there is understandably a lot of cynicism around regeneration schemes which have came and went over the years without addressing inequality. Tracey echoes the views of Communities Channel Scotland in that investment and support needs to go into building community so that they are in a better position to lead on change.

“Everyone wants to see their communities thriving but they don’t necessarily have skills and confidence”

And that is where Castlemilk Wellbeing Hub, with the right support to overcome the aforementioned challenges, intend to make a difference by fostering community spririt and togetherness so that all generations can have more influence, both over their own lives and over what happens in their community. In Tracey’s words, they are trying to normalize a sense of hope in and for the community.

More information

• See Castlemilk Wellbeing Hub’s website and Facebook page for more information on the services they provide.

• Read more spotlight articles about the wealth of work and support delivered by community organisations in Scotland.

• For more information on community-led health as an approach, and a database of community-led health organisations across Scotland, visit the Community Health Exchange (CHEX) website.