Welcome to
Hymhus
A warm welcome awaits you at Hymhus, the former Bigton Kirk. Hymhus is home to Bigton Collective, a social enterprise promoting arts, health and wellbeing.
We offer a range of activities from Friday Friends lunch and craft group to samba, basket making and therapeutic services.
Our second-hand shop St Ninian’s Proil (Tue & Sat) stocks a range of treasures. Come along for a look, listen to a record or browse the books - we will always be pleased to see you!
Our Activities
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Our core weekly activities revolve around inclusive, welcoming participatory arts groups where we aim to prioritise creative activity as a central part of our ordinary, everyday lives.
Building on the cultural heritage of Bigton, we foster an environment where it is normal to sing, weave, dance, read poems and make music together on a regular basis.
In these ordinary everyday activities we find magic, meaning and human connection.
Bigton Singers
Musical Playtime
Bigton Writers
Songwriters’ Sanctuary
Bigton Band
Hymhus Music Makers
Bigton Straw Makers
Bigton Samba -
Go to our newsfeed for up to date information on all our events and activities. You can join our online community for weekly updates.
Our events programme is shaped around an annual theme which culminates in a community exhibition every summer.We run a range of events from our Hymhus Headliners concert performances to the Short and Sweet series on Sunday mornings. On Saturdays we also host the Bigton Weekend Bakery and Stakkadale Coffee.
New initiatives include Piece and a Poem where we celebrate local verse and Listening Parties where we come together to share a love of recorded music. We also host weddings, funerals and other ceremonies.
As our capacity grows, we aim to work flexibly in collaboration with local artists and musicians and the adjacent Bigton Community Hall to promote inspiring events that are aligned with our aims and values.
Let us know if you have an idea!
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Specialised services: Music Therapy, Support for Parents and IFS Therapy are offered from Hymhus by our Community Music Therapist, Alice Ritch, HCPC registered Music Therapist and Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor.
We also collaborate with a range of other organisations and professionals to promote community-led wellbeing activities.
A person-centred and trauma-informed approach is at the heart of everything we do.
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Our second-hand shop St Ninian's Proil offers a welcoming hub for donated goods and affordable pre-loved items.
Our regular opening hours are 9:30am - 2pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
We also offer trailer hire and have a community Polycrub.
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Since we gained community ownership of Hymhus in 2022 our aim has been to bring energy, life and activity into this beautiful building and to use the space in a flexible way.
Our phased renovation plan is evolving all the time in response to the groups, activities and people using it. We have found it such an inspiring process to experiment, try out new ideas and allow the design to be shaped by the needs of the people who use it and care for it.
Our priorities from the outset have been to make the building more accessible, warmer, safer, more flexible and sustainable.
You can read more about accessibility and the current facilities at Hymhus here.
You can read more about the background to the Hymhus project here.
Friday Friends
Our welcoming craft and lunch group meets every Friday in school term-time from 12 - 2pm.
Suggested donation £5 (includes lunch)
Bigton Straw Makers
For anyone interested in traditional basket making and straw crafts.
We meet on Fridays at 11am.
Bigton Singers
A friendly community singing group.
We meet on Monday evenings at 7:30pm and sing a range of accessible songs in three part harmonies.
Support for Parents
Parents work hard and deserve emotional support! We offer a range of services from creative workshops to Hand in Hand Parenting Classes.
Musical Playtime
Our musical playtime group for babies and parents runs on Monday morning during term-time at 9:30am.
Contact alice@bigtoncollective.org for more details.
Events, Concerts and Exhibitions
With a relaxed and welcoming vibe, Hymhus is a wonderful venue for concerts, performances and exhibitions. Our seasonal programme is based on a theme each year culminating in a summer exhibition.
Sunday Star
If there is a Sunday morning concert, check our events feed for Sunday Star walks. We usually gather at 10:30am to walk, run, wheel or cycle in any direction we choose. Meet back at Hymhus for refreshments and live music when the bell rings at 11am!
Listening Parties
The perfect way to start the weekend. Our Listening Parties are on Fridays at 6pm. Relax, sit back and listen to a full album together at Hymhus - sign up to our online hub to join from wherever you are.
Bigton Writers and Songwriters’ Sanctuary
A group of local writers gather, usually on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm to write, encourage each other and share a love of words.
Songwriters’ Sanctuary runs roughly every month, dates will vary so please check the news feed for details.
Bigton Samba
Our high energy Samba drummers meet on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm.
Runs in blocks so check for dates.
Bigton Band
A fun, inclusive music group for local children P5 and up.
After school on Fridays in term-time.
Hymhus Music Makers
Music-making groups in collaboration with local schools to build new skills, confidence and boost wellbeing.
Sustainability
At Hymhus we also run a fabulous second-hand shop, St Ninian’s Proil which is open on
TUESDAYS and SATURDAYS
9:30am - 2pm
Make a donation
You can support the Hymhus Project by making a donation here. Your donation supports our activities and helps us look after the Hymhus building.
Thank you
