Charity wants to build new centre in Glasgow park

A music therapy charity wants to create a £6.5million purpose-built centre in a Glasgow park. The Nordoff Robbins centre would be the first of its kind in Scotland if it gets the go ahead from Glasgow city Council.

Council bosses claim it will bring visitors to the Ruchill Park area from all over Scotland and raise the profile of the park and the north of Glasgow.

Nordoff Robbins is the largest charity in the UK specialising in the use of music to transform lives and improve communications, and it has celebrity backers including singers KT Tunstall and Annie Lennox.

Separate charities operate in the USA, Australia, Europe, South Africa and the Far East and there are training programmes in New York Germany and Sydney.

City council roads and environment boss Robert Booth said: “Nordoff Robbins provides and supports a range of specialist services that encompass the depth and breadth of music, comprising music therapy services, music and health projects and community music projects.

“Practitioners provide services in arts, health education and social care sectors, working with people of all ages who are in need of assistance and support.”

The service can help children and adults suffering from a range of problems such as mental or physical disability, brain damage, Down’s Syndrome, autism, depression, dementia, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, terminal illness or bereavement, as well as refugees and asylum seekers.

Nordoff Robbins approached Glasgow Life and the city council with a view to establishing a permanent base in the city.

It currently uses a venue in Maryhill Community Centre.

If the Ruchill Park scheme gets the go-ahead, Nordoff Robbins, which has 15 staff working at its five Scottish bases, hopes the centre will be completed in 2012.

The building would cover 21,000sq ft and the public would have access to a cafe and toilets.

The council’s powerful executive committee will be asked to declare the land surplus to requirements to allow the project to go ahead. But local councillor Jim Mackechnie is unhappy with the plan.

He said: “I have grave reservations because I am concerned about the amount of land it would take from the park.

“I think it would be useful if they could look at a number of other sites in the Ruchill area.

“I’ve spoken to Ruchill community council and the Friends of Ruchill Park and they share my concerns.”

Mary Brown is executive director of the charity.

She admits any purpose-built centre in a park is a “sensitive issue.”

But charity chiefs looked at several possible locations before deciding the park offered an ideal environment for those who turn to the power of music to help try to overcome their personal problems.

More than 70 children and adults currently have therapy at a workroom in Maryhill. Dozens more are on a waiting list. Mrs Brown said the proposed centre would have two workrooms and be used to carry out research.

She said: “We would also hope there could be some kind of community option.”

Charity chiefs not only want to work closely with the community but hope locals will adopt them and are already trying to establish links with potential neighbours.

Mr Booth added: “The centre will be an important resource within the community of Ruchill and for the city of Glasgow.”