What's On
Regular Groups & Activities
Fa=Families & Early Years, Yo=Youth, Ad=Adults, Fo=Food, Sp=Spiritual, Al=All Age, Th=Groups Run by Third Parties(i.e. Not By Us)
Mondays
Baking Buddies | 10:30am - 12:00pm Fa Fo
Nothing says mess like baking at home, so why not come down and create mess at the Phoenix with you and your little ones.
While you are creating a mess, learn a new recipe or two!
No booking required.
£2 per session or £1 for Dumbarton West Residents
Moodboosting Mondays | 1:00pm - 2:00pm Ad
A women's group that focus on self-care and slowing down with mental and physical exercises.
Free
Tuesdays
Community Prayer Meeting | 9:30am - 10:30am Ad Sp
Join with local residents from various local churches (no need to be part of a a church to join in) to pray for our local community.
If you have any prayer requests then please email oli@rockcommunitychurch.org.uk
No booking required.
Free
SQA Childcare | 9:30am – 12.30pm [Run in Partnership by Working4U & West College Scotland] Ad Th
This part time SQA course develops your knowledge and understanding of the basics of childcare. It enables the learner to gain skills and confidence on a part time basis in the community. There are further opportunities available to continue community-based qualifications, or if desired part- & full-time courses within West College Scotland.
If you are interested please email laura.anderson1@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Free
SQA Gardening | 9:00am - 12:00pm [Run in partnership with Working4U & West College Scotland] Ad Th
This part time SQA course develops your knowledge and understanding of gardening techniques which range from garden design, soft landscaping, care and maintenance, allotment gardening and propagation. With the opportunity of progression to other community based SQA courses.
If you are interested please email laura.anderson1@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Free
Community Café |12:00pm - 1:30pm Fo Al
The Community Café is focused on giving the community a hearty meal with a different menu each day! We'll also have teas and coffees available.
The café is a donation café - so pay what you can. (Cans, snacks and luxury hot drinks are also available for purchase.)
Mini Youth | 3:30pm - 4:30pm Yo
Join Steph and a group of volunteers with a fun filled hour for your P1-P3s! Month to month we'll be focusing on a theme and different activities related to that theme for each week!
No booking required but we do require a registration form to be filled out by a parent or guardian.
50p per child!
Dungeons & Dragons | 4:30pm - 6:30pm Yo
A group for local young people who want to adventure in the game Dungeons and Dragons.
This is currently a closed group but it is worth checking with steph@rockcommunitygroup.org.uk for open spaces.
Free
Rock Salt Collective | 7:00pm-9:00pm (every second Tuesday during term time) Ad Sp
Rock Community Church run a range of midweek groups in various places but for the artist, creatives and those who would like to be a bit more arty, Rock Salt Collective is an evening of exploring faith and life's big questions through artistic projects.
No booking required but since group is fortnightly it is worth checking with oli@rockcommunitychurch.org.uk whether group is on that week.
Free
Wednesdays
Breakfast Club | 8:00am-10:30am Fo Al
Start your day right with a hot roll, a hot drink and a talk amongst friends old or new.
The café is a donation café - so pay what you can
Baby Massage | 11:00am-12:00pm Fa
Baby massage is a great class to bond with your baby, learn new skills and meet new friends with babies similar age to your own. Our trained instructors will lead you through different techniques each week. Why not stay for lunch afterwards.
No booking required.
£2 per session or £1 for Dumbarton West residents.
Community Café | 12:00pm - 1:30pm Fo Al
The Community Café is focused on giving the community a hearty meal with a different menu each day! We'll also have teas and coffees available.
The café is a donation café - so pay what you can. (Cans, snacks and luxury hot drinks are also available for purchase.)
Thursdays
Phoenix Fun! | 10:30am - 12:00pm Fa
Let your toddlers burn off energy in this fun filled hour and a half with different activities happening each week. We'll have songs, crafts, games and free play.
No booking required.
£2 per session or £1 for Dumbarton West residents.
Community Café | 12:00pm - 1:30pm Fo Al
The Community Café is focused on giving the community a hearty meal with a different menu each day! We'll also have teas and coffees available.
The café is a donation café - so pay what you can. (Cans, snacks and luxury hot drinks are also available for purchase.)
Youth Club | 6:00pm - 7:30pm Yo
Join Steph and a group of volunteers with a fun filled hour for your P4-P7s! Arts and crafts, games, challenges, laughter, chill out, and tuck shop.
No booking required but we do require a registration form to be filled out by a parent or guardian.
50p per child! (plus some money for tuck shop.)
Empower | 8:00pm - 9:30pm Yo
A fun interactive group for S1-4s who want to learn leadership skills and help shape the work of The Phoenix and make a difference in our local community. Contact steph@rockcommunitygroup.org.uk for more info.
No booking required but we do require a registration form to be filled out by a parent or guardian.
Free
Fridays
ESOL Class | 10:00am-12:00pm [Run by Working4U] Ad Th
The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course is designed for people whose first language is not English, but who live or work permanently in the UK. An opportunity to improve your english skills in a warm safe environment.
For more information email Eric.Makeham@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Free
Cocaine Anonymous | 7:00pm - 9:00pm [Run by local C.A. committee] Ad Th
An evening of peer support for those in recovery or looking to start their recovery journey.
No booking required
Free
Saturdays
Currently there are no regular groups on Saturdays.
Sundays
Church Service | 10:30am-12:00pm Sp Al
Rock Community Church's weekly service. For more information check out our CHURCH LIFE page.
No booking required
Free
Pebbles | 6:00pm-7:30pm Yo Sp
Rock Community Church's youth group for P7 upwards (pebbles=little rocks!). An evening of games, Bible study, prayer and chill. If you're not part of the church but would like to spend some time exploring faith you're more than welcome.
No booking required - This group isn't on every week so worth contacting Kirsty on youthatrock@gmail.com to check dates.
Free
Special Events and Irregular Groups
Fa=Families & Early Years, Yo=Youth, Ad=Adults, Fo=Food, Sp=Spiritual, Al=All Age, Th=Groups Run by Third Parties(i.e. Not By Us)
June 2025
June updates coming soon
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History & Vision
History
The Phoenix is a community hub serving the communities of Dumbarton West, namely Castlehill, Brucehill and Westcliff. The Phoenix offers a wide range of activities, groups, events and services. It's run by Rock Community Church but is open to everyone irrespective of belief or background. It's a place where beautiful things happen as we work hard to help the people of Dumbarton West flourish and be all they can be.
The Phoenix has a long and fruitful history in the local community with many people having amazing stories about coming to the cafe or summer plays or attending events or youth clubs down the generations but sadly it shut and sat empty for years. But if you call a building "The Phoenix" you have to expect to come back to life again. In 2016, Rock Community Church celebrated its 25th anniversary as a church and was dreaming again about what it meant to love the people of Dumbarton. By Nov 2018 we'd taken on the derelict building, consulted with loads of locals, and renovated the space. We reopened with a vibrant range of activities inspired by local people. Since then we've continued to grow and develop the space and add loads of exciting things to the life of our community.
Decision Making
The Phoenix is run by Rock Community Church but it has always been designed to be a partnership with local people. Our staff team, supported by our trustees, and some incredibly volunteers help run the day to day activities and behind the scenes structures of The Phoenix. (You can see our staff and trustees on our ABOUT page.) Our staff team and trustees are made up from people in the church and local residents. We consult closely with local residents through a range of groups and systems including our youth action group, local residents forum, focus groups, informal conversations with those who attend our groups, online surveys, etc. We also have local people on our interview panels when we are recruiting new staff, helping make sure local people have an active voice in who comes to work here.
Strategic Outcomes
We're also led by our ten strategic outcomes:
Values
When we first took on The Phoenix we also set some values which would guide us in the ways we would work.
Cafe
At the heart of The Phoenix is a cafe. It is literally in the middle of the building but also at the very centre of the life of The Phoenix.
We believe something beautiful happens when we share tables together and enjoy company and connection over cuppas and chips and curries. Our community cafe plays an important part in the life of The Phoenix.
When we chatted with local people before reopening the Phoenix in 2018 one of the consistent messages was how important it was to have somewhere in the community where you can simply have a cup of tea or coffee with your friends. The cafe has taken on various forms since we opened the doors but the consistent principles have been quality food, affordability, and a warm welcoming space.
We currently run the cafe on a donation based model. We sometimes get asked does that mean people pay a donation or the food is donated. The simple answer is both. We know times are tough for people financially so we don't have set prices for the food at lunch or breakfast (for our opening times see our weekly timetable HERE). People can pay a donation (or nothing). It means the menu is smaller than a commercial cafe but we always have a range of options available (and they are all tasty!) We also have free tea and coffee available (and if you want a fancy latte or a can of something fizzy you can buy one of them too.) We also recognise the role we can play in reducing food waste, so some of our produce (and we want to increase this over time) comes donated from local shops and supermarkets. We can adapt our daily specials around what is donated and in doing so save food from landfill. We also love being able to use local produce, we grow our own herbs in our community garden and working on growing more of our own produce (potatoes, tomatoes, apples, plums, etc) or with the kind help of other community partners, like Knowetop.
The cafe is a warm welcoming space where you can connect with others. Why not drop in some time!
Volunteering
Why Volunteer?
We couldn't do what we do without the amazing volunteers who give their time to support the variety of things that happen in and around The Phoenix. Our volunteer team are made up of all ages and backgrounds and all volunteer for different reasons. For some it's having something to do in retirement. For others it's about building up new skills and experiences to help them in a career path or studies. For others it's about giving something back to their own community and knowing they can make a difference. For others it's about using a unique skill to benefit others. For some it's about growing in self-confidence and believing in themselves. All of these are great reasons to volunteer.
What Can I Do?
We generally have two types of volunteers. The first of these is those who want to help with things that are already happening. We can normally help plug them into some of existing projects or activities. These opportunities change over time but could include volunteer in the community cafe or helping with youth club or supporting our toddler groups and activities. The second group of people is people who have an idea or specific skillset they can bring to the table. We've had musicians offer local kids music lessons or tradesmen offer their time for building maintenance or a fitness instructor deliver some wellbeing sessions. One of our core values for The Phoenix is "We Start With What's Strong Not What's Wrong", so we love when we get to celebrate the amazing skills and abilities of local people by creating space for the assets that exist in our community to flourish.
Whether you have a specific idea or just want to get involved then drop us a message via the CONTACT page or drop in to the building and have a chat with a member of staff.
What Support Would I Get?
We don't just chuck people in at the deep end. We'll have a chat with you and see what areas best suit you. We'll chat about availability and your time commitments. We'll also get you filling out some paperwork and put you in touch with our Safeguarding Officer who will get the ball rolling on a PVG application (this is a national system for doing police checks and making sure people are suitable for the tasks we're proposing). We'll also look at what training you'd need to get started such as safeguarding training, food hygiene training, or anything relevant to your role.
As you go we try and provide a range of training and learning opportunities throughout the year. These might include fire safety training or training on how to use our defibrillator machine or some input on dealing with stressful and challenging situations. We try and reflect what our volunteers need for the various roles we have. We'll also have a member of staff check in with you periodically and see how volunteering is going for you and help us hear the positive impact of your experience here.
