Alex Wilde, chairperson of the Govanhill Baths Community Trust, writes about the baths refurbishment and the ways local residents can get involved

By Alex Wilde | Photo by Becky Duncan of Open Aye CIC

Govanhill Baths has reached a very exciting time in the 20 year campaign to reopen the baths for the community of Govanhill. I’ve been on the board for 10 years and involved since I moved to the Southside 15 years ago. It’s a privilege to see the years of dedication and effort by so many people in the community come to fruition.

You may have passed by recently and seen that work is underway to get the building refurbished. This has been fought for, long and hard, and we now have the majority of the funding secured to open a state-of-the-art Wellbeing Centre for the local community. It’s due to open later this year.

Last year the building was formally transferred from the Council to start the work, which felt like a huge milestone. We are working continuously behind the scenes and it is a challenge to refurbish a historic building which was in need of maintenance prior to closure 20 years ago. The effects of Covid and Brexit are additional hurdles to overcome. However, we are confident that with our supporters we can continue to fundraise and lobby for a high quality facility which will offer a welcoming, inspiring and unique space that Govanhill will be proud of.

Read more on The Govanhill Baths Occupation

The centre will include two refurbished swimming pools as well as new facilities including a gym, yoga studio, Turkish suite, community kitchen, archive, and community space – all of which were chosen through community consultation.

Many local residents have shared their stories about the history of our baths building, and are excited for it to return. We hope the reopened Wellbeing Centre will be a welcome local resource; a building firmly embedded at the heart of the community. Keep an eye out for workshops, building tours, school packs, community consultations and much more.

Visit the website to keep up-to-date with progress on the refurbishment, and upcoming events: www.govanhillbaths.com

Thanks for all your support to help us get this far. United we Swim!

How to get involved …

Sponsor a Tile Campaign

To make Govanhill Baths a resource for everyone to enjoy, we are raising money to help provide vital equipment, enabling equal access and facilities for all. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has already supported us, but we need a little more help to make our baths the brilliant and beautiful building we all deserve.

For a donation of £25, you can sponsor a tile that will be part of a permanent mural on public display in our beloved baths. Each handmade tile will be engraved with a name of your choosing (one name per tile). For more info, visit: www.govanhillbaths.com/tile

Join our Board

We are also looking for committed individuals who live in the local area to join our Board for the next part of the amazing journey – opening the baths after over 20 years of campaigning and fundraising.

We are seeking particular expertise to join our existing dedicated team in the areas of facilities management, legal, finance, IT, health and safety and human resources.

If you are interested, or would like more info, please visit our website for more details: www.govanhillbaths.com/get-involved

We encourage applications from all who believe they can contribute effectively, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief or race. You can have a chat with us to explore how you might get involved: alex@govanhillbaths.com

This paid for advertorial content first appeared in Issue 5 of our magazine. To purchase a copy, please follow the link through the button at the top.