Dundee charity Kanzen for Life opens new £1 million community hub in Stobswell
- Andrew Batchelor
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
A new £1 million community centre designed to support thousands of people across Dundee and beyond has officially opened its doors in Stobswell.
The new Kanzen for Life Centre has transformed former industrial premises into a permanent hub for activity, wellbeing, learning and community development.
The facility represents a major milestone for Kanzen for Life, which currently works with more than 2,000 people every week and has grown significantly since beginning life as a Dundee community martial arts club in 2009.
The new centre includes dedicated spaces for physical activity, learning, wellbeing, meetings, leadership development and community programmes, allowing the organisation to significantly increase the number of people it can support.
Its programmes are delivered through Kanzen’s LifeAbility model, which focuses on helping people develop skills for life, confidence, resilience, relationships and opportunities to progress.
The centre has been developed in Stobswell, where Kanzen hopes its work can help tackle challenges surrounding poverty, health inequality, inactivity and access to opportunities.
Stobswell West is among the 5% most deprived communities in Scotland, with figures cited by Kanzen showing 25.8% of children living in relative poverty.
First Minister John Swinney officially opened the new facility, describing its transformation into a community hub as something which would benefit Dundee for years to come.
He said: “The transformation of this building into a vibrant community hub will benefit people across Dundee for years to come.
“Kanzen for Life stands as an inspiration not only for the city, but for communities across Scotland, demonstrating how social enterprises can help people gain skills, build confidence and access opportunities in employment, education and volunteering.”
The development represents an investment of around £1 million in capital and jobs, funded through charitable investment, Kanzen’s own income, partnership working and significant pro bono support.
Dundee City Council and NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation have each invested £250,000, alongside £75,000 from Northwood Charitable Trust, £75,000 from sportscotland and £50,000 from the Clothworkers’ Foundation.
Dundee firms Jon Frullani Architect and MML Law also provided pro bono support towards the development.
Roy O’Kane, Chief Officer of Kanzen for Life, said the support received to create the organisation’s first permanent centre had been “nothing short of remarkable”.
He said: “Our new premises will help us expand our offering in the community and reach more people with our programmes. This is done by helping people develop skills for life, confidence, resilience, relationships and opportunities to progress.”
Kanzen’s work now spans four main areas. Its social enterprise delivers martial arts, dance and activity programmes, while Kanzen Active Communities tackles inactivity, isolation and inequality. Kanzen Inspired focuses on confidence, resilience and aspiration, with Kanzen Academy providing education, volunteering, leadership, personal development and employability opportunities.
Roy added: “At the heart of Kanzen for Life is a belief that everyone deserves the chance to realise their potential.
“We are rooted in our local communities and we are proud to be a social enterprise. Generating our own income makes us stronger and more sustainable. It allows us to create jobs, develop people and reinvest money back into our work.”
Originally established in Dundee in 2009, the organisation expanded from its martial arts roots into wider physical activity, wellbeing, education and community development.
It became Kanzen for Life in late 2024, reflecting the increasingly diverse work it now delivers with children, young people, families, adults, older people, volunteers and community leaders across Tayside.
