What We Do

About Us

Garnethill Multicultural Centre is a community-owned and run community space at the heart of a diverse central Glasgow neighbourhood. For over 30 years we have been the focal point for community activity for the people of Garnethill and beyond. We are a busy centre with around an astounding 1,000 people coming through our doors every week to take part in an activity or to seek support. We are open to and welcome everyone.

We offer many community activities and projects that are either free, or donation based. These include  health walks, seniors socials, movement classes, holiday playschemes, Christmas parties, tea dances, community cafés, a food pantry, recovery groups  / support for new Scots, refugees and asylum seekers.

The GMC Family

We support - and are a home to – many charitable organisations and community groups and host a vast array of clubs and activities - from martial arts, dance classes, Chinese opera, gardening groups, English classes, arts workshops to councillor surgeries and addiction support groups. The building is also a registered polling station.

We currently have two tenants on the ground floor of our building - Central & West Integration Network and Migrant Voice who we work in partnership with to identify and provide additional support services to refugees and asylum seekers from within our community owned centre. 

Click here to find out more about our partners and the groups that use our centre.

“We keep people at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to serve inclusively the social, educational, and welfare needs of Garnethill & Glasgow city centre’s multiple cultures.”

— Chirsty Hamilton, Community Development

Spaces for Hire

As well as service and activity provision we have a number of rooms in the centre available for hire to local groups, charities, businesses and community members who wish to book event spaces. Click here to find out more and make an enquiry.

How it all began

We are very proud of the centre’s history. Our building dates from the mid 19th Century and at some point, in the early 20th century was converted from residential accommodation for use as St Aloysius’ Church Hall (knocking 3 tenement blocks together). In the mid 1980’s the building was given a basic renovation and began it’s life  as a community centre, under lease from the Archdiocese of Glasgow until 2019.

In the 70’s and 80’s Betty ran the centre. At that time, there was a thriving community café in the basement which now houses our community food pantry.

The GMC has been a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) since 2012 and our present Board of Trustees comprises a mix of local residents and centre users.

Taking Ownership

In 2019, as one of only 10 groups across Scotland, we were awarded a grant from The Scottish Land Fund to buy the building from the Archdiocese of Glasgow. The £329,576  grant also enabled us to carry out essential repairs so that we could continue providing much-needed social, welfare and educational support to the local community.

We are delighted to have been offered this grant. Owning the building will allow us to apply for desperately needed funds to refurbish the Multicultural Centre. We’ve leased the building for over thirty years and now, finally, the local community can decide where the money is best spent.
Ross Donald, Centre Manager.

This means that we as a community, now own the building and decide what goes on here. We are a non-profit making charity, so any money made, goes back into the community, for the common good.

If you’d like to get more involved, have a say, please consider becoming a member. Apply online here or to find out more information please email community@garnethill.co.uk