This week, The Community Collective launches their main project, ‘The Living Room’ located within what formerly was the cafe space at Stonehaven Community Centre; from 1st November, it will be open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 am-2 pm. The project has been backed by Aberdeenshire Council’s Tackling Poverty & Inequalities Group Innovation Funding.
The Living Room will be a cosy, safe, welcoming, non-denominational space open to all, manned by people who listen, who treat everyone the same, and who don’t judge or try to fix each other. Visitors can expect conversation, support, friendship, community, games, WiFi, food and drinks.
This innovative concept will be Aberdeenshire’s first Public Living Room and has been inspired by the Camaredos movement. It will offer community members the opportunity to access breakfast, hot drinks, homemade soup, sandwiches or a hot homemade meal on a pay-as-you-can basis. It aims to fill some of the gaps within current provisions and give everyone in our community the opportunity to make social connections. Open to ALL – no catch – no agenda.
The Living Room builds upon the ‘Blue Room Blether’ weekly community cafe, which The Community Collective has been running successfully since mid-October every Thursday from 2-4 p.m. in the Blue Room at Stonehaven Community Centre. Kincardineshire Development Partnership Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has funded it.
The Community Collective is a new group based in Stonehaven with big ambitions and even bigger hearts. It was set up by an initial group of 20 volunteers, all closely associated with Stonehaven and a history of community volunteering. The Community Collective is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation with charitable aims. Led by the community for the community. The Treasurer will maintain records of income and expenditure, and a fully transparent financial statement will be published publicly monthly.
More information: j.graythecommunitycollective@gmail.com
