After being built by furloughed workers on land costing just £1, Seaton Community Church has become one of Aberdeen’s most successful examples of how the five-year-old legislation can help people.
The group behind the scheme managed to raise £517,000 in a matter of months to make their vision for the site a reality.
The former Aberdeen City Council depot has been ready since January to serve as both a place of worship and base of operations dedicated to helping the people of Seaton.
Pastor Barry Douglas said: “The project has been a massive undertaking but also a huge success.
“When the council first approached us with the idea of the asset transfer we set about preparing.”
After consultations with architects and providing proof of their plans and funds, the project got under way.
While worship at the new site has been put on hold due to current coronavirus restrictions, some members of the Seaton Community Church group have made use of the site.
A number of local children who attend the nearby Seaton Primary School have already benefited from the build as volunteers have used it to prepare free meals for them.
Mr Douglas added: “We can now do so many things for the community seven days a week, we can offer so many programs and facilities that we couldn’t before.
“It has become a space that can really benefit the local community, it will truly be an asset that can help people – with our team of staff and volunteers we are ready to just get going and do some good in the future.
“It can be quite a daunting task to take on a community asset transfer as they have to be of both a benefit to the community and the council, but if people come with a plan and are prepared they can do some real good for the community.”
