St George's Community Centre
St George’s Community Centre SCIO may seem like a recent addition to some of you, but our journey began nearly five years ago, at the onset of the first lockdown during the Pandemic. It all started with Tillydrone Community Council using the building to store, sort, and distribute care packages for vulnerable members of our community. We were then offered the previous St George’s Church Building for community use. Sensing an opportunity to fill a void, we visited other community centres, sought advice from various sources (ACVO was a tremendous help), and consulted with our community. Following discussions with fellow groups and several applications, we moved into St George’s in 2024.
During our first month, we replaced carpet tiles and freshened up the paint to create a pleasant and welcoming environment for our community to also call home. Each Board Member, volunteer, and I are all Tillydrone residents, most of us having lived here for most, if not all, of our lives. This intimate knowledge of our community’s challenges is complemented by our appreciation of the lovely, kind, and amazing people who live here.
Our centre now hosts a variety of activities, including a Pensioners Lunch Club, Bingo, History Club, Craft Club, Yoga, Chair-Based Exercise, Cooking Classes, and more. We also provide fun physical activities like Zumba and Poundfit classes, and we are collaborating with other groups to further expand our offerings. Additionally, we offer a warm space two evenings per week with hot drinks and snacks.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to introduce new activities such as a Men’s Group, Quiz Night, Nature Club, and Walking Group. A School of Dance has also recently started, and we are frequently adding more activities to our program. We aim to restart our Parent’s and Toddlers group – please contact us if you’re interested!
We will be offering a range of classes where participants can earn qualifications upon completion. Parents of young children can take advantage of our creche services, allowing them to participate with the confidence that their children are being cared for in the next room. Our Clothes Exchange Program provides necessities for young babies and children, so please reach out if you need assistance. We are also thrilled to partner with the wonderful ladies from the Tilly Community Flat to provide food parcels. We have also received several inquiries about renting our hall for birthday parties and are currently drafting a birthday party package.
Our primary goal is to meet your needs and preferences. If there’s a class you’d like to see, or if you have suggestions on how we can better support our community, please let us know.
We’d also like to thank Anna & Billy Kidd who ran the former Tillydrone Community Centre who have kindly donated some items including a quilt, made by locals almost 30 years ago, which now proudly hangs in our Grandholm Hall.
St George’s Community Centre, or St G’s as we fondly call it, is your community centre. Come along and enjoy your new space.