Pennypit Community Development Trust

Pennypit Community Development Centre, 2x 5-a-side Football Pitches (recently refurbished), Rugby Pitch and Football Pitch with Spectators Stands.

Registered charity number: SC042187

The Pennypit Community Trust was set up to in 1992 to develop and manage
the new facilities at Pennypit. These consisted of 2 x 5-a-side courts, a stand
and changing rooms for the two key clubs - Preston Lodge Rugby Club and
Preston Athletic Junior Football club. The whole development was centred on
an ethos of community development using sport as a vehicle to develop young
people and the wider community. The facility opened in 1994.
At the time of development such a trust model - bringing land into community
hands for community benefit - was forward-thinking of its time and there was
much recognition of the new facility development.
The core element which was put in place from the start was a quality work-force
who were trained to work with young people and sport and spent time
developing and educating young people in the Community into the benefits of
physical activity and sport. Pennypit was the first facility in East Lothian to have
a Sports Development Officer working locally within the Community, developing
Rugby. This was in partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union.
The Trust believed that the sporting facilities at Pennypit would provide a place
in Prestonpans that would have a positive social as well as sporting impact on
the whole Community. Developing an umbrella organisation including the
partner clubs is a model similar to which clubs today are trying to develop in Communities across Scotland.
The original vision for Pennypit set out the following objectives:

To promote the benefit of inhabitants of Prestonpans and environs by associating the residents, religious and voluntary organisations, educational and local authorities in a common effort to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure;

To make these facilities available for male /female members of the public at large and to individuals and groups having need of such facilities aforesaid by reason of their youth, age, infirmity, or disablement, poverty or social and economic circumstances;

To secure the establishment, maintenance and management of a centre for activities promoted by the company.

The original vision was clear and set out to achieve community cohesion through sport being at the heart of community development. This was in an area which
was challenging for agencies to work in and needed another way to engage young people.
Pennypit Trust has three main delivery teams - Preston Athletic FC, Preston Lodge RFC and the Pennypit Trust Building which houses the Manager Angie Davie. Angie operates the facilities from here and works with a range of community groups and young people.
The Trust has, over the last 16 years, provided sporting and community-based activity which caters for the community -

A home for two of the town’s major sport clubs - Preston Athletic and Preston Lodge Rugby Football Club
Extensive youth sport programmes through the two clubs who both have fully active youth sections
A community link for Active Schools and afterschool clubs for local secondary and primary schools activities
A Community learning base
The Pennypit Outdoor Pursuits Group
Family Support Groups
Thai Boxing Groups
A Youth Work Drop-In Centre
C card programme /healthy respect programme
Hosting representative sports matches and events.

In 2006 a new Pennypit Community Building was developed and was intended to provide a social environment for the two clubs through bar use for matches
and social events. However, this has been a contentious issue locally as the building is operated by Community Learning and Development and is not as
accessible to the sports clubs as was expected when first developed.
The Pennypit Manager has been in post for 16 years and her role is a major factor in the success of the Trust’s work in community development. This has
been particularly noticeable in recent years as she is the sole employee. She operates out of a small building (the pagoda) close to the pitches and her extensive work includes -

Youth drop-in project;
C-card Healthy Respect project;
Sports delivery in the primary schools curriculum programme;
Works with active schools after-school groups;
Has a family support group for families affected with drugs;
Works with teenagers in the POPS group using outdoor pursuits to develop confidence and self-esteem in teenagers;
Coaches the local under-14 hockey team.

She has a committed group of volunteers who work with her and many community organisations work alongside her to deliver health and wellbeing
messages in the community. She is also the main operations manager for the facilities and liaises with the two clubs on their lets and maintenance of the facilities.
The football club has recently taken over a building on site which has become their home clubhouse and which can be used on match days and trainin
nights. The youth section have recently benefited from a new changing facility which will enable them to expand their club, particularly for girls’ football. They have the SFA Quality Mark and are trying to establish a full community club. The football club and senior side have improved their facilities and see
themselves very much as the major football club in the community. The rugby club has experienced a decline senior playing level since Pennypit was
developed. However, their youth development programme was always, and still is, one of the best in East Lothian. They employ a Club Development
Officer in partnership with the SRU who works well with the school and he is keen to bring the levels of rugby back to the higher divisions over the next few
years. The Rugby Club are currently considering a new indoor facility for social use and for fitness facilities. The project has a 3-5 year time plan which is
sensible in the current climate.
In the last few years the Trust has had little funds to invest in any of their facilities and but was lucky enough to receive funding to refurbish the 5-a-side pitches
courtesy of Sports Scotland, Viridor in association with Preston Athletics and The Robertson Trust which will reopen in December.