With many of Blantyre’s public Halls under threat of closure, I’m reminded of just how valuable a service our public buildings provide (and provided) to the Community in Blantyre.
“Come along to Blantyre Community Centre for a wide range of sports and hobbies”
That’s the invitation which was sent out to townsfolk during the first week of February 1980 as the centre, in conjunction with Blantyre High School and High Blantyre Primary School, started their new programme of evening activities.
Enrolments were taking place that week for the following classes and courses:
Community Centre, Pottery (Mondays and Wednesdays),Yoga (Fridays), Art (Wednesdays),Family Badminton (Mondays), Badminton for housewives (Tuesday afternoons), Senior Citizens (Mondays and Wednesdays). High School: Girls Gymnastics, Typing, Dressmaking (Mondays), Badminton (Tuesdays), Ladies Keep Fit (Wednesdays), Yoga (Thursdays). High Blantyre Primary: Ladies Keep Fit (Tuesdays).
The courses and classes were being run by Strathclyde Region’s Community Education Department who ensured the fees charged were certainly at that time, kept “reasonable.”
The former Community Centre on Glasgow Road is pictured around that time.
On Social Media, the following comments were received on Facebook about this article:
Blantyre Telegraph Such a well used building in its time!
Libby Moffat My dad’s; work used to have Christmas parties in it : great memories of it.
Carol Locke I spent many days during school summer holidays here. There was a morning session and the afternoon. Summer club (or something like that). Great memories.
Karen Bordon Morton Carol Locke playscheme, great times
Kristina McKean I remember going to a club in here once a week (can’t remember what exactly it was, maybe just a youth club)!!
Lynsey Fojut We went to playgroup or something in it. Definitely a pre school club.
Fraser Cosh Went to Playgroup there when I was a kid. That were I met my best mate for the first time and at the age of 51 I’m proud to say he is still my best friend!
Catherine Paterson My husband Auntie and Uncle had their wedding reception there, William had great pleasure handing out leftover sandwiches to his pals
Frank Wylie People who know me might not believe me but in those days i was very quiet , just stayed in house , then was persuaded to go to the disco there and i loved it met nice people , came out my shell and here i am lol , probably all down to this wee place , so it that community centres fault.
Thomas Barrett Youth club Tuesdays and Thursdays, dancing to live bands Saturdays and Sundays.
Marc Rodden Thomas Barrett youth club Wednesday boxing Thursday discos Saturday. That was the cemetery hall. Nothing like that now.
Sheena Mason Thomas Barrett Yip!Great nights at the weekend. Loved the youth club too. Maybe the young people wouldn’t get into as much trouble if they had things like this to look forward to. No they are trying to do away with the Terminal One in low Blantyre and, the Cyber in High Blantyre. It’s a disgrace that these young people are left to roam the streets. It’s just not fair!
Patricia Stewart I went to the youth club and summer play scheme. Great memories
Elaine Speirs Used to go to summer holiday club there. It was great fun
William MacSporran Community centre . Was a youth leader in there, my grandfather taught cobbling in there too when it was called the Toc H.
Margo Haughen My mum attended art classes there too
Janette Mackenzie Had my Wedding Reception in there 1965
Catherine Murphy Remember it well my daughters went to the youth club
Jackie Anderson Had great discos back then
Ann Hartman Went to miss Browns dancing class for years loved it ,great wee hall
Paul Howat Ma first wee dance was in there lol
Ian Dino McDougall I remember helping Craig Connelly do a couple discos there the disco was called Starburst and one Saturday it was heaving in the hall and the police came in after someone and 5 minutes later there’s a massive riot going on the place got a bit smashed up and the police came from everywhere..I can see it like yesterday..good memories.
Toni Mcinally Many a good Saturday night xx
Rena Caullay Had many a great time in the Community. I fondly remember Neil Gordon showing cini films, of Blantyre in this Hall. It was well used in it’s day
Margo Haughen Rena Caullay I remember that too
Jacqueline Donnan Wright My Mum and Dad’s wedding reception was held there in 1960 – the days of the free bar! My first memories of the hall was Mrs Brown’s dancing school on a Saturday in the late ’60’s – happy days
Drew Burnett Went to a battle of the bands there late 80,s I’m sure
Margaret Donnelly Allan Was a great centre
Fran Mcdermott Walters Remember it well
Anne Gilmour Callaghan Great live bands in the sixties .I especially remember The Ariels, loved them . Dancing with my wee friend Isobel
Eleanor Connor Latch Key after school club—–a brilliant help for working parents
Michael Connor Went to the latch key club in there right through primary school
Helen Docherty Reid Great memories of the youth club, disco’s. My friend Eileen and I went every week. Then play group when I had children. Such a shame it closed down.
Linda Hunter Miller My son went to the playgroup used to love in the cafe with friends
Sheena Mason Another scandal. I used to go to the dancing in here on a Sunday night. Loved it!
John Allan Great place spent many nights in it table tennis room football out the back cafe listening to music
Sharron McDermott I remember when Blantyre was like that.
William Mullen Great wee place early 70s
Cee Cee Emm Loved the youth club and the summer play scheme , think the woman who ran it was called Louise x
Audrey Fleming Went to playschool there. Mum told me Billy Connelly performed here when he was in the Humblebums.
Mary Sambou My girls went to Playgroup in here on a Monday and Wednesday morning Carole Anne Wilson Angie Wilson
Keith MacLean 1st Ever Punk Gig in Blantyre Minor Onsets,Raw Deal,Teenage Product.1978
Lynne Conner I went to the youth club it was mental and summer scheme I think it was called x Brilliant!
Iain Lambie Went to playgroup there
Lorna Godfrey Iain Lambie we both had a great time
Kev Samson Iain Lambie same man…Wee youth club anaw as teenagers
Lynne Dunsmuir This was a brilliant place the playgroup n wee cafe were awesome
John Corny Cornfield Blue moon discos for the youth club disco every so often . We were taken kayaking over to the loch at Drumpellier Coatbridge The youth club was well used by the Street boys and girls in the seventies, great wee cafe too , it had everything for my youth that the young of today haven’t got!
Mary Dawson If my memory serves me well we at St Joseph’s used this hall temporarily as our dinner hall. Can anyone else remember this.
Janette Mackenzie Mary Dawson remember it well Mary
Jim Gilmore Mary Dawson remember going for school dinners
Stephen Anderson It was a cracking building and would have made a great pub after it closed
Helen Grieve Did pottery and flower arranging. Great asset to Blantyre there was something for everyone.
James Sime We fought for it but was no use, the council were determined to close it as it was so old and underused in the end
Margaret Quinn Sad
Linda Mcgrory Macintyre Remember a family wedding there – would have been 1950’s – the kids could slide on the dance floor
Elizabeth Daley Youth club Tuesday and Thursday and dancing for the last hour to Shuggie Allan, Jack Kellis, George McInally and the keyboard player whose name I can’t remember, and it was maybe John McPartlin instead of Jackie
Elizabeth Freer Scott I used to go to the Latch Key there. I remember when it burnt down. So sad
Helen Whyte Dyer Went there a few times. Lol.
Kate Blackburn Community education used to have their outdoor equipment store where local groups and individuals could borrow camping hillwalking and ski boots.
William Feechan Am I right in thinking the “Big Yin “ played a gig there early in his career
Lorraine Mckenzie That was our kids 1st toddler group, fond memories
Brian Connor Irish dancing i was dragged to it with my mum my aunt used to teach. The slagging i got was awful. happy days.
George Scott I remember the cafeteria.,went there at school lunch times
Tricia Allan-Martin George Scott me too! We went there from St Joseph’s for stuff like chips and beans and rolls with square sausage!
Raymy McGuire Great memories
Wilma Rodwell Used to go to discos in that hall.
Yvonne Kelly Ann Donald remember pottery class ? Think we went to youth club there too a few times
Ann Donald Yvonne Kelly omg loved the pottery class and seem to remember the Bolero being performed there too, was it Arlene.
Yvonne Kelly Ann Donald your memory is so much better than mine
Margaret Stewart I remember it well. We went to the youth club there where local bands played. I think the lead singer of one was Jackie Kellis ???
Andrew Little Great community hall – should never have been destroyed
Orlando Ancilotti Used to go to the art club there in the mid 70s with John McMillan. Walter McDonald sort of oversaw it, other members included Neil Gordon, Harry Rankine, Ian Nelson.
Orlando Ancilotti And I’m sure the house beside it was where they held the Young Lions group (SNP youth group).
Mary Gemmell Sutherland Admit it we all kissed in that wee phone box!
Stewart Willis Mary Gemmell Sutherland no at the same time!
Karen Feelie My mum and dad got married in Livingstone church across on the 11th March 1961 and the wedding reception was in that hall Pauline Feelie look that’s the hall away now they are trying to do away with the church shame on them.
John Richardson Remember it well, the amount of money I used to get out that phone box as well
Corr M Cleary Marie McPartland Millar , remember our playgroup was in here
Rab Straiton Sold off by South Lanarkshire Councillors to their building buddies to build flats The same reason they wanted to sell off Terminal 1. It was NOT beyond repair