Action Porty

Action Porty was established in 2016, primarily to take the former Portobello Old Parish Church and halls into community ownership. The context for this initiative was a rapid increase in population (as a result of substantial house building in and around Portobello), and a rapid loss of community facilities (whether church, council or other shared community spaces).

Action Porty used the Community Right to Buy mechanism to register an interest in, and subsequently to acquire the building from the Church of Scotland with important support from the Scottish Land Fund. Bellfield (as the church was re-named) was acquired in September 2017 and after essential repairs and maintenance (partly funded by a crowd-funder) were carried out, was opened to the public in June 2018 as a community hub. Action Porty has ambitious re-development plans for Bellfield. The plans for the Celebration Hall (the old church building) are now being realised after a very successful community share issue in April 2025 raised £190,000 from 1,064 shareholders, raising our membership from just over 400 to over 1,333, and enabling us to secure a further £748,000 in funding.

Bellfield hosts a range of classes, activities, community meetings and events, concerts, performances, children’s parties, weddings, and other life events and social gatherings. Beyond Bellfield, Action Porty acts as a community anchor organisation for Portobello as a whole. This includes leading a successful community-led design process that halted the loss of the 5-a-side pitches at the Westbank site, supporting Portobello Community Fridge, co-ordinating Xmas activities around the High Street in an effort to support local traders, and helping coordinate ‘Heart Talk Porty’, a space for new community initiatives to emerge from conversations initiated by community members.

In March 2026 Action Porty will bring the former Portobello Police Station into community ownership after a successful Community Asset Transfer request and grants from key supporters including the Scottish Land Fund (SLF), the Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF), and Foundation Scotland (FS). This 1870s building was originally Portobello Town Hall, magistrates court, fire station and police station, and latterly was also the library before becoming only the Police Station. This currently empty 27-room building in the heart of the community can once again become a lively presence on Portobello High Street.