WRIGHT BUSINESS CENTRE CHARITY

Beginnings

GEM Workspaces Ltd was founded in 1987 as a company limited by guarantee, originally with the name Greater Easterhouse Managed Workspaces Ltd. It was formed by local people who wanted to do something to address the unemployment issues in the area.

GEM first leased the converted Queenslie Business Centre, part of our established business centre in Glasgow, from the old Scottish Development Agency, providing low-cost workshops, storage, and office accommodation for micro-businesses. The Equicentre, a terrace of 10 industrial units, was added in 1997 in partnership with Scottish Enterprise. Queenslie Business Centre closed when the lease expired in 2007, and the Equicentre — rebranded as Queenslie Workspaces (“QWS”) — has been solely owned and operated by GEM since 2001.

Charitable purpose

Article 4 of GEM’s Articles of Association states the company's objects to be “to relieve and/or prevent poverty and to relieve unemployment through:

a) the formation of companies and other entities whose activities are directed towards the provision of paid employment or whose activities are directed towards relieving those who are in need (through economic disadvantage or otherwise);

b) the acquisition and holding of shares, stocks, debentures and other interests in companies whose activities are directed towards the objectives outlined in paragraph a) and the provision of managerial supervisory and consultancy services to or in respect of such companies;

c) the provision of advice and assistance with regard to the establishment and operation of enterprises whose activities are directed towards the aims referred to in paragraph a);

d) the promotion and implementation of schemes of community benefit which further similar charitable purposes to those outlined above;

e) the provision of training opportunities; and

f) the operation of workspace projects.”

The Wright Business Centre

GEM took a huge leap forward in meeting its objectives with the Wright Business Centre (“WBC”) development, a modern business centre in Glasgow. The underlying vision remained focused on promoting economic growth and facilitating employment in the area, with smart, up-to-date shared-user office space — and a development aimed at changing the perception that Easterhouse was not a good place to do business.

With grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Scottish Enterprise and the Social Inclusion Partnership, a £2m loan from Unity Trust Bank, and some internal resource, the £4.5m facility opened its doors in early 2006.

WBC is named after an early leading light in the charity, Alex Wright MBE, who had retired from the board in 2002 after 13 years. The key driver behind the WBC development was another local Chairman, Bill McCall, who stepped down from the board in 2018 after 21 years.

Occupancy at WBC was initially slow to develop and further held back by the deep recession of 2008/09 from which the UK economy did not fully recover until 2013. From there, fortunes improved and landmarks were reached in 2016/17 when an option was exercised to purchase the land at WBC (for £250k), and in 2018/19, when the Unity Trust loan was fully repaid in half the originally scheduled repayment period.

Fulfilling our purpose

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 coincided with the loss of a significant tenant and, combined with the subsequent period of high inflation, created uncertainty for the development of the organisation, although recovery is strongly underway.

The charity continues to meet its objects by providing office premises and other workspaces at the WBC and QWS properties.

In addition to offering competitive rental rates, GEM offers employers the benefit of:

• Short-Term Contracts – Flexible agreements to suit your business needs.

  Fixed Rate Costs – One additional fixed rate covering all other accommodation expenses, so you know your full costs in advance.

  Easy Rental Process – Minimal ‘due diligence’ requirements, making it simple for even young businesses to rent.

  Available Office Space Options – Choose from a variety of layouts and sizes to match your requirements.

  Ad Hoc Meeting Room Hire – Book professional meeting spaces as needed.

  On-Site Café & Catering – Convenient facilities to keep your team and guests refreshed.

Since the foundation of GEM, the world has moved on in several respects:

• 1950s tenement housing in Queenslie was demolished in the 1990s along with the primary school. (The community centre adjacent to WBC was spared and became a substance abuse rehabilitation centre until its closure in 2017, and subsequent reopening in 2023 to house a community personal care charity.)
• People are more mobile and willing to travel outside their immediate area to find work.
• There has been significant development of industrial, commercial and office accommodation in the neighbourhood.

In more day-to-day language, the Trustees have summarised GEM’s objects as “to relieve and/or prevent poverty and to relieve unemployment through:

• Providing paid employment;
• Providing training;
• Assisting people in need;
• Promoting schemes of community benefit which further employment opportunities or otherwise assist people in need;
• Operating workspace projects.

To help meet these aims in the changed environment, GEM established the WBC Community Fund (in 2023) and the WBC Employability Fund (in 2024).

Historical sources:

• The Herald, 2 November 2005
• Wikipedia
• GEM Annual Reports