How the Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre was saved (Part 2)
- kpchello
- Jun 25
- 7 min read
Thank you to our wonderful volunteer Lesley for the following blog!
This is part 2 of 3 blogs detailing how Kinning Park Complex was saved from closure in 1996. Watch this space for the final chapter of the story!
The campaign hots up …
3/5 A sit-in starts
The Council formally announced the facility was "surplus to requirements" and ordered its closure. Keys were handed over to Property Service by Community Education to officially close the building at 6pm.
The Management Committee and Scotland in Europe called an emergency meeting with various Centre users and local people. They agreed collaboratively to develop and send in another, improved proposal six weeks later. In the meantime they decided to stage a sit-in in the Centre to ensure it was kept open as from 5pm on this day and to raise the profile of objection to the closure.
Local campaigners declared that the building belonged to the taxpayer and blocked the entrance to avoid the building’s closure. The occupiers put a note on the front door to explain to all the building users what was going on:
“We think that if we leave the centre the proposal may be lost. We believe that the loss of this centre will mean that local services will disappear in this area. These services and facilities are badly needed in this area.” (Nolan, L.J. 2015, p.95).
A provisional rota was organised.
5/5
The sit-in was strongly supported by local people through visits and donations.
6/5 The sit-in becomes an occupation
At a public meeting on Monday 6th May called by Greater Govan Campaign for Jobs and Service at the Centre, an agreement was made to continue an occupation. Speakers from “Save Our Schools" Netherton (Castlemilk) and Greenfield (Govan) primary schools, who were threatened with closure and won victories through their own occupations, attended the meeting to show solidarity and support the fight. Support also came from Kvaerner Shop Stewards, West Dunbartonshire Against the Cuts and James Kelman.
“We have received the support from schools under occupation, and local people are increasingly rallying round. This is the first occupation of a building that has been officially closed by the cuts carried out after Local Government re-organisation and passed by the Labour run Council..’. ((Under Occupation Urgent [Poster] 1996).
6/5 A logbook was started
on the third day of the occupation, so everyone involved could communicate effectively, and a phone tree was set up in case the police showed up or an emergency occurred.
The logbook gave accounts of the security guards smoking cigarettes and drinking beers in their office, of people sending apologies for being late. There were practical concerns about replacing loo roll in the toilets, lists of other organisations to contact, meetings to attend. There were also celebrations and commiserations for other local struggles that were part of the anti-cuts movement at the time.
Those at the occupation encouraged everyone to sign up to the rota, to donate time, food or blankets to the campaign.
11/5 A demonstration against school closures
and cuts to services took place at George Square with Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre activists taking part. A leaflet encouraged local people to meet at 10am at the Centre before moving on to George Square.
12/5 An open meeting for members of the public
to support the occupation took place at the Centre. A leaflet advertising the meeting made a clear call: “Put pressure on Councillor Butt & M.P. M.Watson for support.”
Throughout May and June
the occupation fell into full swing. The following describes some of what happened on a day to day basis and how campaigners used publicity to raise awareness of their cause.
Day to day
There were around 25 regular occupiers, mainly women and a handful of men.
A rota of local people, club members and others demonstrating solidarity had been organised, on a 24 hour, 7 day week basis. Local people were involved in after school care, mothers & toddlers groups, youth football and the F.U.N. Badminton group. The rota designated time and labour between each person according to the amount of time they had available.
“So for 55 days we did a sit-in in the building, we had a rota of the women, the ones that put their children in to school at 9 o’clock would be in the building from 9 until 2, and the ones that who were in part-time work would come from 2 until 6 and then at night time from 6 overnight, those that did have childcare provision would stay overnight.” (Helen Kyle in Nolan L.J. 2015, p.96)
The occupiers spent night after night on camp beds in the Centre which was cold and damp. They tried to keep spirits up and activities in the Centre continued as usual in order to demonstrate to the Council that the building was an essential part of the community.
Helen recalled:
“There had to be a constant and imaginative way of getting through the days, and we did this by organising small events in the complex such as dance nights, music shows and fundraisers. It was important that the people directly affected by the building’s planned closure got to make the final decision about the way forward.” (Helen Kyle in Riddoch, L. 2014, The National).
Musical events were important and on Sunday afternoons between 3-6 pm ‘unplugged’ musicians and writers performed.
A fundraising music event took place on 27 May at Kinning Park Church 7 pm onwards advertised by the local newsletter.
“You are invited to take part in a rock service in Kinning Park Church. If you haven't been to church before, or haven't been for a longtime, or you think going to church is not your scene- again - with lively music audience participation good company it will be an experience. Everyone is welcome so come along, you will enjoy yourself- See you there!” (Kinning Park Newsletter May 1996, p.4).
A 60’s 70’s and 80’s benefit disco took place on Saturday 15th June from 7.30 pm at The Saltire Bar on Paisley Road West with £1 entry.
A roller disco was even organised.
Solidarity was important for the occupiers to keep spirits up. For example, all the community centres from Castlemilk, Easterhouse and Drumchapel came to support them so the Centre was very busy during the day.
The campaign attracted support from other campaigns. One of the key groups to support the campaign were the Save Our Schools campaign against proposed school closures. Shipyard workers, SNP activists and anarchists associated with anti cuts actions in Clydeside were vocal and active in their support. Links were made with other workers, including Librarians threatened with having their shift allowance withdrawn.
There was also careful negotiation with the existing janitorial staff in the building who agreed to keep watch for the police in solidarity with the community.
People would bring food and pass supplies through the windows on the ground floor because the occupiers couldn’t leave the building to get food or supplies. Leaflets and flyers requested particular types of food and drink to be brought including milk, tea, coffee, sandwiches as well as detergent, toilet-rolls, blankets and pillows.
Publicity
Leaflets, flyers and a local newsletter were produced to advertise the occupation, requesting local support by way of visits and supplies and let people know about demos and meetings in order to galvanise the occupation and maximise awareness of events.
Banners were made to hang outside the building for publicity, for example one declared ‘Save Our Centre for Our Weans’. Children took an active role in the campaign holding signs with slogans such as ‘we need a safe place to play!’
Stasia Rice was a Community Arts worker at the time and had some prior experience of activism. A large embroidered banner was made by Stasia and others during the occupation:
“…. it was beautiful, it was all hand embroidered and it’s the history of Kinning Park in embroidery, it’s got the Angel building with the big golden angel, it’s got the big crane it’s got a sunrise and sunset and it depicts a whole day in the life of Kinning Park, it’s got oak trees and all wild plants of Glasgow. It took us about nine months to make this banner, it had about 25 women and one boy and one guy who made it, it came to symbolise this as what the Kinning Park Centre could become, you know that it would become a haven for people in debt, people who couldn’t feed themselves. All that kind of thing, because these were the hopes that we had at the time you know.” (Nolan L.J. 2015, p.102).
To drum up support Helen and Rosina, a local resident and active campaigner, even went to meet Tony Benn during the campaign to create social connections with those outside of Glasgow.
The newspaper Evening Times ran a number of articles in support of the campaign both before and during the occupation.
“We organised publicity in the form of demos along Paisley Rd West with the kids after school care, made contacts with the Evening Times and anybody else, gave talks and attended other occupations meetings. Netherfield School in Castlemilk was also occupying at the time and Greenfield Street was talking about it as was Hillhead Centre. We’d even tell passersby to help us!” (Stasia Rice in Nolan L.J. 2015, p.90).
Part 3 of the blog will describe the outcome of the occupation ….
Sources
Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre (1996) Kinning Park Community Newspaper May 1996. [Newspaper]. Available at Spirit of Revolt Archive (p.3/4) https://archive.org/details/KinningparkSitIn_201310/page/n3/mode/2up
Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre (1996) Sit-In Continues Day 30 [Poster]. Available at Spirit of Revolt Archive https://ia600705.us.archive.org/28/items/TSOR319i/T-SOR-3-19i.jpg
Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre (1996) Sit-In Continues Urgent [Poster]. Available at Spirit of Revolt Archive (p.2) https://archive.org/details/KinningparkSitIn_201310/page/n1/mode/2up
Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre (1996) Under Occupation [Poster]. Available at Spirit of Revolt Archive (p.0) https://archive.org/details/KinningparkSitIn_201310/mode/2up
Kinning Park Neighbourhood Centre (1996) Urgent We Need Your Support [Poster]. Available at Spirit of Revolt Archive (p.1) https://archive.org/details/KinningparkSitIn_201310/page/n1/mode/2up
Nolan, L.J. (2015) Space, Politics and Community: The Case of Kinning Park Complex [PhD thesis]. University of Glasgow. Available at https://www.academia.edu/64047712/Space_politics_and_community_the_case_of_Kinning_Park_Complex
Riddoch, Lesley (2019, February) Victory after a 21-year battle to save the heart of Kinning
Park. The National [Newspaper]. Available at https://www.thenational.scot/news/17455259.victory-21-year-battle-save-heart-kinning-park/.
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