How Good Is Our Service 2024/25 - East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust

There were a number of changes, mainly in the Leisure side of the business this year when the General Manager retired in June after 37 years’ service, initially with Strathkelvin District Council, followed by East Dunbartonshire Council and finally East Dunbartonshire Leisure & Culture Trust.

He was replaced by the Sports Development Manager and following a service review in consultation with the Trade Unions, the decision was taken to combine Active Schools and Sports Development to create a new joint Active Schools and Community Sport Team. The rationale was for a single, locality-based service with better integrated planning to offer a more collaborative approach to meet local & national priorities and an improved customer journey.

Recruitment to this new team has taken place over quarters three and four, firstly with the Manager’s post, followed by the Team Leaders and then matching of the Community Sport Officers. The key focus in the short term will continue to be centred around joint planning for the new locality-based teams.

Attendances across leisure centres have continued to grow this year with the Allander reaching the highest of a 31% increase. Direct Debit memberships are also up this year by over 19%, although the rate of growth has slowed down as we near capacity within the gyms and group fitness classes.

The usage of Libraries continues to grow both in terms of physical and digital visits with overall usage exceeding 1 million attendances despite the continued closure of one of the main branches due to RAAC.  

Key Achievements

Cultural Services

Heritage and Arts

The Heritage & Arts service has seen a significant increase in digital footfall by 17% however physical footfall has decreased by 8%. Combined performance has increased overall by 9%.

Museums

The Auld Kirk Museum, Lillie Art Gallery & Made in Kirkintilloch Heritage Centre hosted 26 exhibitions over 2024/25 and received17,979 visitors.

The service supported 404 museum collection enquiries, with requests from customers to see physically see collections not on display or to engage in outreach with our Collections Development Officer. The services digital engagement was 52,816, a significant increase of 7834 from 23/24.

Exhibition highlights of the year include a partnership with the Thomas Muir Festival bringing the popular School Art Competition from the Thomas Muir Cafe to the co-curated exhibition space at Kirkintilloch Town Hall, for the first time. School pupils’ artwork was displayed alongside Archive, Local Studies and Museum collections.  It is intended that this will now become an annual event. 

Museum Services played a key role in supporting local groups, including; Kirkintilloch & District Soroptomist Society 50th Anniversary celebrations, with an outreach display at William Patrick Library and at the Auld Kirk Museum a display by Kirkintilloch & District Society of Antiquaries of “significant Personalities in the History of Kirkintilloch and their Legacy”. The 'Kelvin Artists held their first Exhibition' At the Auld Kirk Museum featuring works by local amateur artists who meet weekly in the Barony Chambers, next to the Auld Kirk, on Thursday mornings to paint and create together. The exhibition featured a varied selection of pieces inspired by East Dunbartonshire's places and people.

The Lillie Art Gallery hosted a Centenary exhibition of Bet Low, featuring work from Tom and Evan McDonald. This included recently conserved work from the permanent collection alongside works on loan from the Bet Low Trust and other private collectors. The Lillie also hosted a talk by Hildegarde Berwick, an independent researcher and former curator of the Gallery, on the life and work of Bet Low. Both the Gallery and Museum held festive events during their popular Christmas exhibitions. At the Museum a full day of fun was had with glitter tattoos and activities. Also to further opportunities for customers to visit at times outwith the normal 10 - 5 shopping hours, the Gallery was opened for a late night shopping evening in December.

A number of items related to Jessie M King, including family photographs and a letter, were purchased through acquisitions for the museum permanent collection and will be on display as part of an exhibition at the Lillie Art Gallery in autumn 2025. Museum Collections have received a number of donations including rare Calico handkerchief samples and Allanderware pottery both of significant historical value.  

All of the H&A service took part in emergency planning training with Harwell Restoration, Collections Care Service. This training will allow the team to further develop their strategies, risk assessment and procedures for response and salvage of collections. This will be implemented during any type of emergency such as fire, flood or water ingress effecting any of our collection stores.

Libraries

Bearsden Library remained closed throughout 2024/25 following the discovery of RAAC in its construction. Despite this, the Library Service exceeded a million usages for the first time in it’s history. 

Health & Wellbeing

The service continued to develop its role in health and wellbeing in line with the national initiative, ‘A Collective Force for Health & Wellbeing’. 

• The service won the Social Award at the national libraries Conference, EDGE2025 for its Wintering Well programme which included lending SAD Lamps and a series of lunchtime talks, designed to help people thrive during the darker winter months
• Bishopbriggs Library introduced autism-friendly Quiet Time on a pilot basis, which attracted a very positive and appreciative response
• The service took part in the national Covid-19 Day of Reflection. In partnership with Marie Curie Cancer Charity three libraries hosted Reflection Stations, inviting people to remember their lost loved ones, with messages which were then digitised and shared online.

Libraries developed a focus on combatting loneliness and social isolation as part of the “Warm Welcome Here” initiative, including: Relaxing Reads, Craft & A Cuppa, and Board & A Brew. 

Jackie Kay, one of Scotland’s best known poets, returned to her home town and was interviewed by comedian Josie Long in Bishopbriggs Library, as part of Book Week Scotland. 

The Summer Reading Challenge was themed on ‘Marvellous Makers’ encouraging children and young people to read about and then get involved in making things, with the team offering sessions in ‘Stop Motion’ film-making, code club sessions for older children and for girl-only groups, crafting and an ‘escape room’ challenge. The team also delivered books as part of EDC’s Snack & Play programme. The autumn Festival of Facts was themed on dinosaurs, with hugely popular opportunities to make dinosaur eggs, and read lots of dinosaur themed books.

View the rest of How Good Is Our Service 2024/25 - East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust in the documents section below.