South Seeds

South Seeds is based in the heart of Glasgow’s southside on the high street. It supports residents
to live more sustainable lives in one of Scotland’s most densely populated areas. The Southside
Tool Library is very popular with over 500 items on its inventory. Each year South Seeds offers
residents the opportunity to adopt-a-raised bed in its community garden. South Seeds energy
officers support residents to reduce their energy bills. South Seeds is developing the vacant Old
Changing Rooms on a recreation ground in to a net zero hub for community use.

Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation

South Seeds was the first SCIO set up in April 2011, now there are thousands across Scotland.
South Seeds was set up by Kirsty Penman and Reuben Chesters who could see the potential to
make improvements to Glasgow’s southside and make it easier for residents to live more
sustainable lives.

South Seeds is community led and is controlled by its members. Members meet every year to
elect Trustees. The Trustees form a board which meets once a month. The board sets the strategic
direction.

South Seeds is well connected to the community. Residents drop-in to the high street base to
access services. South Seeds has also conducted regular public consultations.

Energy advice service

South Seeds energy officers have managed to pull in over £200,000 per year and see up to 200
residents face to face per month.

Southside Tool Library
The tool library is now in its fifth year.
• 1,766 loans – an increase of 46% on last year (if a tool has been borrowed more than once
by the same person, this is not counted. So this figure is a proxy for the number of tools that may
have been purchased if they hadn’t been borrowed)
• 354 borrowers – an increase of 27% on last year
• 4,209 loans in 5 years
• 42% of loans since we opened were in the last year

Community gardening
Each year South Seeds supports 50 residents to learn how to grow food in raised growing beds at
its community garden known as the Croft.

The Old Changing Rooms
We are delighted the Glasgow City Council property and contracts committee in April approved
heads of terms for a 25 year lease for the Old Changing Rooms building and the land within the
fence.
We have removed the asbestos.
We have submitted planning permission to transform the building in to useable community space.
Over 60 residents have signed up to the work party. The work party has achieved loads in a very
few meetings, it has cleared out the building, cut back the trees and shrubs and started clearing
the gutters.
We have pulled in over £450,000 of funding to pay for a transformation which will create quality
multifunctional space for community use.

• Providing a face to face energy service for over 10 years in an area with many privately
  rented flats and a large number of people who don’t have English as a first language.
• The development of a wide range of low carbon services and projects for local people
• Bringing the Old Changing Rooms back into community use.

Increasing income generation as grant funding decreases

Many residents are interested in improving the area and getting involved.

To make much more progress with the just transition to net zero of Glasgow’s Southside.