The Share & Repair Network is delighted to shine a spotlight on our members and the work they do promoting sharing and repairing, tackling overconsumption and waste, mitigating climate change, and helping their communities thrive.
This month’s spotlight is on South Seeds, a community organisation based in the South Central area of Glasgow. South Seeds aims to work in partnership with residents and organisations within the local community to help improve the look and feel of the area. Its mission is to enable Southsiders in Glasgow to lead more sustainable lives.
The charity has recently transformed a neglected near-derelict building in a Glasgow park into an inspiring community resource with reuse and sharing at its heart. The project started nearly 10 years ago when the charity first began to look for a community building in their local area. The former football changing rooms in Glasgow‘s Queens Park, abandoned in the 1990s, was identified as the ideal space for redevelopment. South Seeds became the first organisation to be given a long lease (25 years) to develop a community asset through The People Make Glasgow Communities programme and began its extensive programme of refurbishment.
The building was unveiled at a launch party on Saturday 30th May 2026 featuring music, food and family-friendly activities, giving local residents the opportunity to explore the new facility. Speakers, Chair of South Seeds Board Mathew Hannon and Leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken, told the inspiring story of the renovation process which involved demolishing one section of the building, removing asbestos and replacing the roof which had fallen in.
Scroll through to see the launch event, the Croft, tool library, renovation, planning, and completion photos.
Sustainability has been key to the redevelopment process with energy-efficiency measures, including solar panels and air-source heat pumps being incorporated into the redevelopment, which were supported by a range of public and charitable funding programmes. Other sustainable features include: a log wall for wildlife built from a felled tree, an external soak away for the water tap built with bricks salvaged from the demolition, and seating has been made with Gabion cages filled with broken bricks, alongside benches salvaged from the changing rooms interior. Volunteers have been involved at every stage, from helping with fundraising to demolition to the final work getting the building ready for launch.
The refurbished building provides the new home for South Seed’s sharing project, the Southside Tool Library. Also incorporated is a flexible community space for meetings, workshops and events, storage cages for sports equipment for community groups and a park-facing kiosk which is expected to host a food and drink operator in the future. The building sits next to The Croft – South Seeds’ long-established community garden. Get involved and visit the The Southside Tool Library at The Changing Rooms – Wednesdays 3pm-7pm and Saturdays 10am- 2pm.
Interesting in learning more about sharing projects in Glasgow or across Scotland? Take a look at our members map. If you’re interested in setting up your own sharing or repairing project, have questions about funding, or would like to access support, visit our Share and Repair Network webpage to learn more or email jane@circularcommunities.scot.