The Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards and Photography Competition 2019

Get in touch The Scottish Civic Trust The Tobacco Merchant’s House 42 Miller Street G1 1DT Glasgow www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk sct@scottishcivictrust.org.uk 0141 221 1466

Front cover image © Rachel Thibbotumunuwe Back cover image © Emma Woodhouse

CELEBRATE TAKE ACTION ADVOCATE

The Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards, supported by the Scottish Government, recognises projects that have had a positive impact in their local neighbourhood and have delivered regenerative benefits to that community.

Our Vision: Thriving, beautiful and well cared for buildings and places, which help to support and sustain a high quality of life.

The Sustainability Award is a new category that recognises community-led buildings and projects which were completed 10-25 years ago (during the years 1994-2009) and their continued fitness for purpose, development and community benefit.

Our Mission: To celebrate Scotland’s built environment, take action for its improvement and empower its communities.

The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Awards and Mentoring are part of our new initiative to make heritage more accessible to all of Scotland’s communities.

How do I take part?

Nominations can be made by volunteer-led community groups who have developed their own projects, or who have worked with partners to deliver larger initiatives.

Nominations can also be made by community councils, building preservation development trusts, architects and designers, local authorities and other organisations so long as they can demonstrate significant support from the local community for the project and evidence of positive differences made.

The nomination process is open from April until February each year.

For further details and to see previous shortlisted entries visit:

myplacescotland.org.uk

Photograph, ‘Swish’ © Catherine McCormack

2019

“It has been a privilege for the judges to visit community-led projects that have made such impressive contributions to placemaking. The passion, imagination and determination of the individuals leading these projects shone through. The My Place Awards highlight the difference good new design and careful restoration can make to Scotland’s places, spaces and communities.”

– Fiona Sinclair, Chair of Judging Panel “The Scottish Government is delighted to support this celebration of the buildings, places and community projects that have brought great benefits to local people. The My Place Awards are unique in that, as well as recognising the physical qualities of projects, they take into account the considerable efforts made by organisations, local groups and individuals to maximise their impact on local places and those who live and work within them.”

– Aileen Campbell, Communities Secretary, The Scottish Government

Judging Panel 2019 Fiona Sinclair (Chair of Panel) – Trustee, Scottish Civic Trust Angus Kerr – Former Trustee, Scottish Civic Trust Colin McLean – Chair, Scottish Civic Trust Ed Taylor – Vice Chair, Scottish Civic Trust John Mark Di Ciacca – Trustee, Scottish Civic Trust Les Scott – Senior Architect, Scottish Government

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Shortlisted projects My Place Awards 1. Barholm Community Enterprise Centre 2. Bellsbank 3. Dunoon Burgh Hall 4. Inverness Creative Academy 5. The Raining’s Stairs Development 6. Turriff Cemetery and Millennium Garden

1 BARHOLM COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE CENTRE Dumfries & Galloway

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9 My Place Sustainability Awards

7. Castlemilk Stables 8. Dance Base 9. Dundee Contemporary Arts 10. Eastgate Theatre 11. Jupiter Artland 12. Maggie’s Edinburgh

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Images © Creetown Initiative

NOMINATED BY: Creetown Initiative DESIGNER: Gordon Fleming ARPL CLIENT: Barholm Community Enterprise Centre

Built as a coaching inn during the late 19th century, this building is an important part of the social and economic history Creetown, a small seaside village. The building, located in a conservation area, was derelict for nearly ten years, close to collapsing, and in danger of being lost forever until the local community stepped in to save it. After years of planning, consultation and fundraising, the building reopened in August 2018. Beautifully restored to its original state, it now houses an arts and crafts cooperative, a cycle hire and repair shop, charity shop, electric car hire and charge point. The site also includes a 30-bed budget accommodation block supporting local tourism and businesses.

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DUNOON BURGH HALL

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Images © East Ayrshire Council

BELLSBANK

NOMINATED BY: Housing Asset Services, East Ayrshire Council DESIGNER: Taylor Architecture and Urbanism CLIENT: East Ayrshire Council

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East Ayrshire Bellsbank is a rural, former coal mining community that has suffered heavily from the loss of the local industry.

Despite the wonderful landscape setting at the head of the Doon Valley, the physical appearance and condition of the housing stock had become dilapidated and forbidding. The idea to bring colour to Bellsbank was conceived of locally and residents were invited to choose from a carefully considered colour plan. The unique, innovative and collaborative approach at Bellsbank, with residents engaged and empowered from the outset, has had a transformative effect. The improvements have not only been felt in the dramatic visual enhancement of the village, but also in tackling isolation and loneliness, fuel poverty, food insecurity, and social cohesion.

3 NOMINATED BY: Dunoon Burgh Hall Trust DESIGNER: Page\Park CLIENT: Dunoon Burgh Hall Trust

Argyll & Bute The category B listed Dunoon Burgh Hall is located on the town’s high street and is in the heart of an area that has been recognised as experiencing significant economic disadvantage.

Threatened with demolition or conversion into flats, the community fought to save this important civic building for Dunoon’s residents.

The project grew from a grassroots campaign, underpinned at every stage by the local volunteers who have dedicated their time to restoring the building to its former glory as a hub for culture and the arts. This communityowned building is now fully accessible and includes museum-standard gallery spaces, a café, workshop rooms, and an incredible main hall and theatre.

Images © Dunoon Burgh Hall Trust

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INVERNESS CREATIVE ACADEMY Highland Formerly the Inverness Royal Academy, the category B listed ‘Midmills’ buildings were acquired by Wasps Trust in January 2018. The buildings were in desperate need of repair, having lain empty and subject to break-ins and vandalism since they became vacant in 2015. The first phase of work sensitively restored the site and created a new sustainable use.

It addressed a long-standing regional need for a focal point for the visual arts, craft and design community, whose members are numerous, but spread out across a vast region, often working in isolation. The final building delivers good quality, affordable studio space, retaining and nurturing creative talent in the Highlands, engaging local people in creative activity, and contributing to the local economy.

Images © Highland Housing Alliance

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5 THE RAINING’S STAIRS DEVELOPMENT

NOMINATED BY: Wasps Trust and Creative Inverness DESIGNER: LDN Architects CLIENT: Wasps Trust

Images © Paul Campbell

NOMINATED BY: Highland Housing Alliance DESIGNER: Trail Architects CLIENT: Ark Estates

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Highland The Stairs are a core path through the city of Inverness, linking Inverness Castle to the surrounding neighbourhood. The once vibrant area centred around the stairs had a healthy mix of shops and housing but had fallen into decline since the 1970s. Located in a conservation area, the Raining’s Stairs Development is reinvigorating this important part of Inverness with a building of significant architectural quality and profound, transformational benefits to the community. The architecture takes cues from the historic, traditional character of the area, while using contemporary materials and detailing. The Raining’s Stairs Development is a key element within the overall city centre regeneration and transformation.

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CASTLEMILK STABLES

6 TURRIFF CEMETERY AND MILLENNIUM GARDEN

Images © Morag Lightning

NOMINATED BY: Friends of Turriff Cemetery DESIGNER: Annie Kenyon CLIENT: Aberdeenshire Council and Friends of Turriff Cemetery

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Aberdeenshire The creation of the gardens was only possible due to the commitment of the local community who volunteered their time and skills. The group has created a quiet area of reflection, a sensory garden, an area of remembrance for early loss pregnancies, and a poppy garden with a ‘Tommy’ statue to commemorate fallen soldiers. The space is fully accessible for all, including wheelchair users, and supports many different groups keen to improve the local environment and develop connections within the area. The gardens will continue to bring people together as they are regularly maintained by the local community, including groups of nursery and primary school children.

Glasgow (opened 2007) Cassiltoun Trust was initially set up to restore, preserve and transform Castlemilk Stables into a building that could be both economically viable and be a focus for the social regeneration of Castlemilk. Since opening its doors 12 years ago, Castlemilk Stables has had over 10,000 visitors, has remained economically viable, and has retained an active and enthusiastic Board. From welfare and money advice, food holiday hunger programmes to community arts, drama and gardening, the Stables have hosted a vast array of services and activities. As a result of the restoration, the Trust has delivered a large-scale regeneration and renewal project in the local woodland area resulting in a fantastic community asset.

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Images © Cassiltoun Housing Association

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DANCE BASE

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© Maria Falconer

© Amy Sinead Photography

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Edinburgh (opened 2001-2) As Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, Dance Base offers a vibrant and uplifting focal point that inspires well-being and creativity, and cultivates a future for dance in local, national and international communities. Dance Base continues to work towards its original vision of getting more people dancing, raising standards of professional dance, increasing dance provision, improving access to dance, breaking down cultural barriers through dance, and helping people to be healthier, to be happier and to have fun. Dance Base’s participation team continues to reach out into other sections of the community, involving participants who would not readily access the public classes programme owing to physical, financial or social barriers. Around 1,200 people attend classes each week and the numbers continue to grow.

9 DUNDEE CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Images © Erika Stevenson

Dundee (opened 1999) Opening its doors exactly 20 years ago this year, DCA is in a unique position to reflect on the success of its initial ambition and vision for the building, the organisation, and its place in Dundee.

Whether taking part in a workshop, popping in to see an exhibition, meeting friends for a cinema trip, or taking some time out with a meal and a coffee, DCA is a dynamic, well-loved civic building and social hub that attracts over 380,000 people each year. The spaces in the building are generous, open and full of natural light, providing a visual link to the city and the surrounding environment. In 2016, DCA was voted one of the top ten Scottish buildings out of a list of 100 put forward by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

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JUPITER ARTLAND

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EASTGATE THEATRE Peebles (opened 2004) Having been used as a community space since 1966, the Eastgate building was threatened with closure in the early 1990s. An informal collective called ‘Under One Roof’ set about raising funds and organising feasibility studies that identified the site (formerly St. Andrew’s Church) as a potential venue for performances and events. Reconstituted as ‘Borders 1996 Company Limited’, this community-based organisation went on to acquire the building, secure several major grants, and commission award-winning architect Richard Murphy to create the Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre. Today, it is a vibrant creative hub and a showcase for arts activities that attracts audiences and participants from the Scottish Borders and beyond. It is now one of the busiest and best-known venues in the south of Scotland.

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© Jupiter Artland © Christian Boltanski

Images © Eastgate Theatre

Edinburgh (opened 2009) The Jupiter Artland Foundation is a contemporary sculpture park set in 120 acres of woodland just outside Edinburgh. The Foundation is committed to nurturing the work of outstanding contemporary artists and commissioning site-specific works in response to the landscape. Their ground-breaking learning programme, offering free visits for nurseries, schools, colleges, universities, and community groups is at the heart of what they do. Learners are encouraged to discover the landscape, play in nature, take artistic risks, and develop a sense of agency as they make their own choices, knowing every response will be valid.

Since 2009, over 32,000 learners have been welcomed free of charge. Looking to the future, the project’s aim is for every child in Scotland to experience Jupiter Artland.

Photograph by Alan Pollock Morris © Jupiter Artland

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12 MAGGIE’S

Images © Maggie’s Centre

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Edinburgh (opened 1996) The first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996, and there are now 22 in the UK and across the world. Maggie’s Edinburgh is built in the grounds of the Western General Hospital and offers free practical, social and emotional support to all those affected by cancer. The building, designed by Edinburgh-based Richard Murphy Architects, was shortlisted for the 1997 RIBA Stirling Prize. The Centre’s approach aims to help people affected by cancer to manage the impact of a diagnosis and help those affected to live with hope and determination.

During 2018, the building underwent a refurbishment project that saw the current building extended in order to create new meeting spaces suitable for groups and individuals.

The My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide photographic project run by the Scottish Civic Trust for young people.

It encourages participants to look at their heritage in the places they live and develop an understanding of the spaces, buildings and archaeology around them, through the medium of photography.

myplacescotland.org.uk/ my-place-photography

Photograph © Rachel Thibbotumunuwe

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Participating schools

How do I take part?

Participation is free, and open to schools, youth groups, clubs and homeeducated young people. All entries are displayed in our online galleries.

Finalists attend an awards ceremony, and their photos are displayed in an exhibition.

Group leaders must register as a member on the website, and then upload their students’ images to the website.

The competition is open for entries from June to February each year.

There are three awards categories:

– Primary school aged

– Secondary school aged

– Young Persons’ Choice Award (judged by a young panel)

Primary school Secondary school

award winner award winner

Young Persons’ Choice award winner

Judging Panel 2019 Colin McLean – Chair, Scottish Civic Trust and photographer Alex Paterson – Chief Executive, Historic Environment Scotland Marygrace Rowe – Eco-Schools team, Keep Scotland Beautiful Phoebe Grigor – Photographer and film maker Pippa Richardson – Art Specialist, Edinburgh Academy “The entries included powerful compositions, interesting angles, and fresh perspectives on familiar landmarks. We also enjoyed some playful narratives and minutely observed details. It was great fun judging, and there were some great conversations about our built heritage, all prompted by the broad range of photographs.”

– Judging Panel

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Photograph © Rachel Thibbotumunuwe

myplacescotland.org.uk /my-place-photography

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PRIMARY SCHOOL WINNER CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

Macey MacLennon (10) Glenboig Primary School Camera Club, North Lanarkshire

PRIMARY SCHOOL HIGHLY COMMENDED THE MYSTERY LIGHT

Jenny Zheng (11) Gargieston Primary, East Ayrshire

PRIMARY SCHOOL HIGHLY COMMENDED HOLE IN THE WALL

Kenziey Hood (11) and Lewis Howie (10) Crosshouse Primary, East Ayrshire

"Mind-blown! I was speechless when I heard that I had won, it was so unexpected. I am very pleased and excited and proud of myself."

The judges said, “The subject is terrific. It represents a layering of our past and observes something many would walk past. It shows a sensitivity and curiosity about their surroundings for this primary pupil to notice the post-industrial decline as part of their heritage, part of their story.”

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PRIMARY SCHOOL COMMENDED WATER AT NIGHT

Ross Wason (10) Milngavie Primary, East Dunbartonshire

SECONDARY SCHOOL WINNER TAKE ME TO CHURCH

Nicholas Runcie (17) Robert Gordon’s College, Aberdeen

“When I take a photo I look for composition, but the best photos manage to convey emotions. I never knew if I was any good at photography, so winning this competition means a lot to me.”

The judges said, “This photo sums up both tangible and intangible heritage – it is a well-known subject, but it tells a story of our heritage and invites enquiry. The image has an atmosphere and a presence, and this is strengthened by the resistance to use colour photography.”

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PRIMARY SCHOOL COMMENDED THE BLACK PIPE

Samuel Walker (10) West Coats Primary, South Lanarkshire

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SECONDARY SCHOOL HIGHLY COMMENDED CATCHING GLIMPSES

Anna Hedley (17) Dunbar Grammar School, East Lothian

SECONDARY SCHOOL HIGHLY COMMENDED INSIDE THE KELPIES

Emma Woodhouse (13) Robert Gordon’s College, Aberdeen

SECONDARY SCHOOL COMMENDED FORTH RAIL BRIDGE

Adam Smith (15) Denny High School, Falkirk

SECONDARY SCHOOL COMMENDED BLACK BULL CLOSE

Euan McFadyen (17) Dunbar Grammar School, East Lothian

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The Scottish Civic Trust is offering help to community groups across Scotland to get their heritage projects off the ground.

We want to help communities develop the knowledge they need to effectively bring about local regeneration. The priority will be helping groups who traditionally experience difficulties accessing support for their heritage projects due to their remote location or because they serve areas of economic disadvantage.

If your group would like to develop its knowledge and skills in areas from sourcing funding to using social media and everything in between, you may be eligible for our free support, which ranges from 8-20 days of our time per project. To find out more visit:

myplacescotland.org.uk/my-place-mentoring WILLIAM GRANT FOUNDATION

YOUNG PERSONS’ CHOICE AWARD WINNER TRANQUILITY

Isla Thomson (16) Levenmouth Academy, Fife

With thanks

“I am absolutely delighted to have won an award with my little cottage photograph. I never imagined at the time I took it, that it would be worthy of an award so I am over the moon that it has received some recognition.”

The Scottish Civic Trust would like to thank: – All groups, individuals, schools and pupils involved with the awards – My Place awards judging panel – My Place Photography judging panel – Young Persons’ Choice Award judging panel

Judging Panel 2019

We would also like to thank our supporters and sponsors: – The Scottish Government – Historic Environment Scotland – Jessops – Eastern Exhibition and Display – The Lighthouse

Amy Liebermann – 2018 Winner, Secondary School category Jordan Cullen – Scottish Civic Trust Young Advisory Panel member Rachel Sword – Scottish Civic Trust Young Advisory Panel member

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Exhibition and leaflet design by Abigail Daly, Ruskin Lane Consulting The Scottish CIvic Trust is a charity registered in Scotland. No. SC012569

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