Welcome to Portobello Community Centre's website. Here you will find all
you need to know about the Centre - its history, Constitution, who's who, and of
course full details of everything on offer in the Centre.
First a little background.
The building was originally a public washhouse (a 'steamie'), used not only
by the locals, but also by women from Musselburgh, Fisherrow, and other areas.
With the advent of Launderettes and the increased availability of washing
machines in the home, numbers using the facility declined to the point of
becoming uneconomic. In 1968 it was converted to a different use and became the
home of the new Portobello Community Centre.
The Centre is administered by Portobello Community Centre Association, a
charitable organisation whose Committee consists entirely of local volunteers
and is made up of between 6 and 15 Trustees assisted by the local Councillors and representatives from the Centre's
users. Unlike most Centres in Edinburgh, it is not funded directly by Edinburgh
Council, although they own the building and are responsible for its maintenance.
Instead it is self funding and relies on good business practice to enable it to
meet the demands placed on it by its users and by the general community.
We have in the region of 25 groups using the Centre and details of the various
activities carried on can be found by using the buttons at the top of the page,
or by clicking here.
We are always open to suggestions to improve our service and should you wish to comment, advise, or complain (hopefully constructively) we are always happy to hear from you.
Use the enquiry button, phone us or just click
here.
With the current rewiring of the Centre in progress, changes to many classes are inevitable. Please click here for details of the current situation.