Families in Scotland are trekking cross-country every Sunday to get together at two community schools. Catering for young children through to grandparents, the schools offer a chance for people to take classes, practise their creativity or do a service project.

Set in the disadvantaged area of Wester Hailes, a suburb of Edinburgh, is the Maxwell School, attracting Bahá’í families from as far away as Glasgow. The school started in the 1980s and has evolved to cater for 25 children and their parents.

Participants at the school group collectively plan their service projects for the local area. Most recently, trees were planted along a nearby canal for National Tree Week, and a party was held to raise money for an orphanage in Honduras.

The school has attracted interest from young people in a nearby housing estate who attend many of the sessions.

“I think the spirit is really good,” said Allan Forsyth, a parent of a child attending the Maxwell School.

“The people who take part realise the importance of it. The vision is to make the school a centre of the community, and it’s given rise to a lot of good activities in an area where that’s really needed.”

Fellowship is a key goal for the school, and special fellowship sessions are held every Sunday for everyone who attends, from children to the elderly.

In another part of Scotland, another community school has been running for the past 14 years, attracting people from Aberdeenshire.

This is the Esselmont School. It brings people from all ages together on Sundays, to carry out a specific project - such as play rehearsals - as well as age-specific classes.

Petroleum engineer Ian Fozdar runs the school. “There is a very good atmosphere. We experiment with different types of activities, and what we’re aiming for is that when people go home, they feel like they’ve had a special day.”

The school is now producing a website for people to visit to find updates about the school’s programme and to share information used in classes.