A Letter from the Team

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the first issue of 2023! This issue focuses on health and wellbeing, something we’ve been thinking about a lot over the dark winter months.

Several of the articles form part of our Mind The Health Gap project – our year long collaboration with investigative journalism co-operative, The Ferret – exploring the solutions to health inequalities affecting people within our community. We’re delighted to feature articles written by those who attended our community reporter training last year. More from them in the next issue too!

This issue is also the first that we have fully created in the new Community Newsroom. Having this street level, shop-front space has opened up new opportunities for us to connect and collaborate with others in the neighbourhood. We have been hosting almost weekly events here since the start of the year and have plenty more coming up. Read more about them on our What’s On pages.

We have also welcomed a new member to our team. Juliana Da Penha is the founder of Migrant Women Press and has joined us to help us launch the Scottish Beacon, a network of communitybased local news publishers right across Scotland. We’ll be sharing more about this later in the year. Sadly, this issue also marks the end of Becki working with us, and we wish her all the best as she moves onto (acrylic) pastures new, focusing on her nail art, which you can read about in this issue.

Hope you enjoy reading this jam-packed magazine as much as we enjoyed producing it. Yours sincerely,

Jack Howse

Editorial Assistant

A special thanks goes to our advertisers: Chickaros, Garolla, StreetLevel Photoworks and Studio 70. We’d also like to thank GCVS for funding our gambling harms special coverage. The Mind the Health Gap project – a year long collboration with investigative journalism co-op The Ferret exploring solutions to health inequalities – is funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Want to advertise in our next issue? Email hello@greatergovanhill.com

Editor-in-Chief Rhiannon J Davies

Creative Director Laura Hurst www.paperarcade.co.uk

Ad Sales and Partnerships Becki Menzies

Editorial Assistant Jack Howse

Cover Image Daniel Doherty by Eoin Carey

Issey Medd

Issey is a queer illustrator who creates playful narrative illustrations using a mixture of digital, handmade and printmaking processes. They love zines, risography, collage and chunky crayons. When not illustrating stuff, Issey can be found swimming, pickling vegetables and mending holes in jumpers.

Check out their cartoon strip on page 4

Bonnie Thomson

We’re also grateful to every one of our members who help us to keep going, even when times are tight. If you enjoy the magazine and want to support us, visit: greatergovanhill.com/members

Bonnie researches funding opportunities for charities and community groups. She studied Global Health and is most interested in the relationship between social exclusion and poor health outcomes.

Read her article on solutions to digital exclusion on page 42

Arij Alnajjar

Words by Ania Marchwiak, Arij Alnajjar, Bonnie Thomson, Becki Menzies, Daniel Doherty, David Carr, David Milosiu, Flora Zajicek, Helen Stewart, Inayah Jamil, Jack Howse, Michael McCandlish, Rhiannon J Davies, Marzanna Antoniak, Stefan Krajcik, Toni Bruce, Zanib

Photos by Alexander Hoyles, Angela Catlin, Audrey Bizouerne, Becki Menzies, Eoin Carey, Iain McLellan, Michael Paley, Niall Miller, Rhiannon J Davies, Simon Murphy, Stefan Kajcik

Illustrations by Alastair Quietsch, Esme Balcewicz, giacinta frisillo, Issey Medd, Hannah Moshtael, Laura Wade, Rachel Procter, Robert Wilson

Translations by Ania Marchwiak, David Milosiu, Toni Bruce

Printed by Gladstone Media Ltd

Originally from Syria, Arij has been in Scotland since 2019 and now works for the council. She is fluent in four languages – Arabic, English, Greek and BSL – and is currently studying Italian, along with travel and tourism, at Glasgow City College. In her free time she likes dancing, cycling, cooking, travelling and trying new things.

Try out her recipe for a Syrian semolina cake on page 8

13

My Life Before Govanhill With Tamazi Chakhunashvili from Georgia

Features 46

Some simple techniques that you can use to relax, or feel energised.

GAMBLING HARMS SPECIAL

16

The Harm on our High Street

Have you ever noticed how many bookies are on Victoria Road?

18

The Addiction Which is Being Ignored

Featuring Yusuf (and his dogs Suzy, Bono and Karra) with photography by Simon Murphy

14

(Some of) The Best… Free and pay-what-you-can exercise classes around Govanhill

15

Point of View

Hear both sides of the story when it comes to nail art.

Zanib’s shares her experience of working in a betting shop

20

ROMANIAN

‘Nu Risti, Nu Castigi’ –‘You don’t risk, you don’t win’

How the Roma community is experiencing gambling harms Romanian Translation

22

What can be done to help prevent the harm caused?

24

Where

Issues

A list of helplines and resources for people affected by gambling harms

The samba-style group from one of Scotland’s most unique primary schools

40

A Laser Focused Approach to Improving Health Inequalities

How community outreach can improve uptake of cervical screenings

42

Photographer Stefan

Forging Connections Through Digital Inclusion Organisations providing free technology and data to people experiencing inequality

44

The Difference a Chat Can Make