A charity fears it could shut within months of a massive hike in its energy bills, it has warned.

The community base has seen its energy bill rocket by more than 500% from £9000 to £62,000 - leaving it worried it can’t survive the next year.

Toryglen Community Base is open seven days a week for local groups to meet and offer advice services for local people.

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It is, the organiser says, a “lifeline” for many people in the area but an enormous rise in its bill from next April is putting the services at risk of closure.

Jackie Bonner, facilities coordinator, said: “Toryglen Community Base is the landlord of all the tenants, three charities and the nursery.

“We have a computer suite and a boxing academy and an urban roots and environmental charity.

“From April next year our energy bill will go from £9000 to £62,000.

“We could never have foreseen that and would never get funding for it.

"We could maybe carry on for a few months using reserves then we would run out. No one can afford this.

“We knew an increase was coming and we agreed increases with tenants but not for this amount.”

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The Elevenses group meet every Wednesday in the base.

People of all ages go in for tea and coffee and a roll, and the chance to meet other people.

This week they were having a Halloween-themed day with the staff dressed up and the hall decorated spookily for the occasion.

Three generations of the same family have been going to the base to meet up once a week for months.

Glasgow Times:

Laura Campbell goes with her baby son Jordyn to meet her mum, Jordyn’s granny Elizabeth Campbell, and her aunt, Susie Johnstone.

Laura said: “People were stuck inside during the pandemic and now they are out meeting up again.”

Susie and Elizabeth have been coming together for years.

Elizabeth, from Toryglen, said: “I come for the sewing and knitting classes as well. It gets you out and meeting people and doing things.”

Susie travels to the centre to meet her family. She added sometimes other members of the family come with the children too.

She said: "We would be lost without it.”

Susie said they also had a coffee morning there to raise money for Macmillan in memory of a friend who died from cancer.

May Stark recently started going to the Elevenses at the centre.

She said: “I’m new to this place and everyone has really welcomed me. There is a lot going on.

“I can’t bear to think it could have to close because the cost of bills is going up. They help so many people. It’s my fourth visit and I appreciate being here. It’s a lovely place.”

Eileen and Alan McNicoll have been going to the centre on Wednesdays.

Eileen said: “We didn’t know any of these people until a few weeks ago."

Alan added: “It’s a good community hall and everyone gets on well. If it had to close down there is nowhere else here to go in the area.

“It is hiking prices for the sake of it.”

Glasgow Times:

Elizabeth Arbuckle, community champion from Asda Toryglen, has been going to the centre since it opened in 2015.

She said: “This is the heart and soul of Toryglen. Every time there is an event it’s busy.

“I don’t know what people would do if this wasn’t here. It would be dire

“I can’t believe the money they are asking for energy. I don’t know how it will survive.”

Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, raised their case in the House of Commons.

She asked the Government how the centre was expected to afford the rise in bills.

Thewliss said: “I’ve been inundated with businesses because those prices are not capped, having soaring runaway costs of fuel.

“The latest was Toryglen Community Base, whose bills are going up from £9745 a year to £62,273, next year, a 539% increase.

“How does the minister expect community organisations to pay for these increased bills because they have to sign these contracts whether they can afford it or not.

“How does he expect community organisations to survive.”

Dean Russell, parliamentary under-secretary of state for enterprise and markets, said: “This Government is absolutely committed to supporting small and medium-sized businesses.

“I find, I am very proud that within the first point within my own portfolio, small businesses are absolutely at the top of my agenda.

“For me having been someone who has worked with small businesses for many years, it is absolutely essential that we do support them.

“We are looking at how we can best support small businesses and I’ll gladly write to the honourable lady with further details.”

Thewliss was not impressed with the answer.

She said afterwards: “Small businesses and charitable organisations facing catastrophe due to spiralling energy costs cannot be expected to take solace in the fact that the parliamentary under-secretary of state for enterprise and markets has worked with small business for many years."