Issuu

INTO DATA

Would

Letter from the Team

Dear Readers,

My first grown-up job was in a print and design studio in the West End. It was very much a right-place-right-time situation, and 15 years on I’m a bonafide paper geek who firmly believes that print isn’t dead. So you can imagine my delight at getting to design a new magazine every few months!

The theme for this issue is Digging into Data and my brief was to create infographics to bring the various numbers, percentages and dates to life. I’m not a numbers person – that’s why my vocation is purely visual! – so I had to learn how to get my head around the datasets pretty quickly. But this is one of my favourite things about designing for Greater Govanhill: the chance to challenge myself and learn something new in the process.

My approach to design is very intuitive. As soon as I read the article I can see the spread in my head. This was especially true with the story about fires in the Southside: straight away I saw a grey, textured background to signify smoke, with bright pops of orange, red and yellow throughout the graphics and text to evoke the idea of fire.

The design is always informed by the story itself. I like to give each spread its own identity, and I want the reader to know they’ve started a new story as soon as they’ve turned the page. At its core, the magazine is a celebration of the people who live in this area, and I want every page to feel like that.

I’ve been designing this magazine for nearly five years and 20 issues now and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I’m looking forward to learning more about our beloved neighbourhood and bringing more stories to life in print.

All the best,

Laura Hurst

Creative Director

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our board game on page 20! Find a dice, grab some pals and take a journey through the world of Govanhill.

A special thanks goes to our advertisers: Glasgow South East Foodbank, Home Energy Scotland, Give Blood Scotland, My Academic Family, Merry-Go-Round Want to advertise in our next issue? Email advertising@greatergovanhill.com

Our independent, grassroots magazine is created by, for and with the local community –amplifying real experiences, shared struggles, and collective hopes. If you believe in media that builds connection instead of division, support us by becoming a member: community.greatergovanhill.com/join

This issue has been made possible by the Research Data Scotland (RDS) pilot community fund which aims to support a community organisation to engage people in data research. We ran a a community reporters programme called Digging into Data which saw 14 local residents from diverse backgrounds come together for an 8 week programme facilitated by Eve Livingston with guest talks from Ema Sabljak, Lesley-Anne Kelly, and Paul Dobson. Some of the articles are published inside, others will be in the next issue.

Cover image Community reporter Joanne Krus on Vicky Road by Laura Vroomen

Editorial Team Devon McCole, Rhiannon J Davies and Samar Jamal

Creative Director Laura Hurst paperarcade.co.uk

Picture Desk Iain McLellan, Laura Vroomen

Ad Sales & Socials Mikael Phillips

Newsroom Facilities Catherine Weir

Words by

Adela Zbila, Benjamin Kritikos, Cat Cochrane, Devon McCole, giacinta frisillo, Joanne Krus, Kieran Coles, Lucy Gillie, Marzanna Antoniak, Mikael Phillips, Natalia Equihua, Rabia, Raymie Kiernan, Reanne Sutton, Rhiannon J Davies, Stewart Campbell

Photos by

Alison Johansson, Angie Catlin, Benjamin Kritikos, Iain McLellan, John Bowden, Laura Vroomen, Raymie Kiernan, Stewart Campbell, Thomas Cornwallis, Zahra Karamizade

Illustrations by Ken Kirstie English, Laura Hurst

AI has been used to help with some sub-editing purposes, including formatting, spell checking and fact checking.

Featured Contributors

Adela Zbila

I’m a young Roma Community Catalyst with Romano Lav, and a first-time mum who has a strong passion for community change. I enjoy writing and am determined to speak up for what is right. I like to spend my spare time with family and going on walks with my baby boy.

Check out her article on local Roma artist Marie Bolagova on page 8

Natalia Equihua

I am originally from Mexico and for the past six years the Southside has been my home. I work in communications and love writing anything from poetry to creative fiction, to letters for friends! I studied journalism at university and getting back into reporting with support from Greater Govanhill has been a really fun experience.

Read her article uncovering data around fires on page 30

Benjamin Kritikos

I’m a writer, broadcaster, and editor at Burning House Books. I host the show Red White Blues: An Anthology of America’s Music on Radio Buena Vida and I publish cultural histories through the newsletter, Spaghetti for Brains –and elsewhere.

Have a go at making Benjamin’s baked ziti recipe on page 10

news in brief

Greater Govanhill’s double win for refugee reporting at Refugee Festival Media Awards

Greater Govanhill writer Sadia Sikandar won the independent media category of the annual awards for her piece for this magazine. Tabassum Niamat and Pinar Aksu took home the runner up prize. Reflecting on what it meant to write for the magazine, winner Sadia said: “My heartfelt thanks go to the entire team for creating a platform that enables voices like mine to be heard, and for supporting stories that reflect lived experiences with honesty and depth.”

Fear A-listed Langside Hall could be a fire risk

The historic Langside Hall building has been closed for ‘essential repairs’ since 2017 and the condition of the building only appears to be getting worse. Fire crews have been called to incidents around the building, leading to concerns that if the property is not properly blocked off or looked after, it poses a real risk of vandalism – and even arson. Hugs and Mugs, a cafe nearby the hall, has experienced multiple fires in recent years. However, at a recent council meeting there was discussion about it being taken into community ownership via the People Make Glasgow programme.

Palestinian voices to be centred at Govanhill Festival

This August, the Govanhill International Festival & Carnival returns with Fringe: Palestine centring contemporary Palestinian writing and resistance. Running 1–10 August, the festival is a grassroots, anti-racist celebration of art, activism, and community. With parades, performances, and local storytelling projects like Greater Govanhill’s photobooth of voices, the festival blends joy and politics across the neighbourhood.

Heir of the Cursed album to be launched in honour of Beldina Odenyo

Beldina Odenyo, the much-loved local artist who performed as Heir of the Cursed, sadly passed away in 2021. Described as “haunting, visceral, defying genre and flipping the finger to convention,” her music explores themes of grief and resilience, blending soul, folk, and jazz. Her unique sound and voice were captured in recordings made at her home studios in Govanhill and Paisley. Now, in celebration of what would have been her 35th birthday, her family have arranged for the album to be mixed, mastered, and released on 30 August 2025. A special launch gig will take place at the Mackintosh Church, featuring a host of incredible guest musicians. For more info, visit heirofthecursed.co.uk

Residents concerned about overdevelopment in Battlefield

Posters are popping up across the Battlefield area asking locals to ‘Say NO to Overdevelopment in Battlefield’ – drawing attention to a change.org petition with over 570 signatures at the time of writing, reflecting residents’ concerns over the proposed high-density flats across from the New Victoria hospital. It lists a number of concerns, including: worries that the infrastructure can’t cope, risk of overcrowded buses, constant construction, heavy traffic, no parking for existing residents and local businesses, and pressure on local services. The 500+ signatories are asking for ‘real consultation’ and ‘smart, community focussed development.’ Affected by this issue and want to write about it? Email newsroom@greatergovanhill.com and tell us your thoughts.

Free on-street tech support service launched

Digital Mushrooms offers free, on-street tech support with no funding bids, no bureaucracy – just mutual aid and a table on Victoria Road. Run collectively by local volunteers, the group helps residents with everything from online forms to phone issues. Inspired by the DIY ethos of projects like Food Not Bombs, they aim to build a communityrooted network of shared knowledge. Find them at their weekly stall or email digitalmushroomsgovanhill@gmail.com

Rom Romeha launch new service for Roma entrepreneurs

Community Renewal are calling on Roma entrepreneurs to join their Roma StartUps Programme that provides support for people looking to start their own businesses. The service is free and involves mentoring, financial literacy support, multilingual services and funding opportunities. If you’re interested in finding out more, contact: romromeha@communityrenewal.org.uk or call 0141 237 4457.

Tenement in Pollokshields collapses

Residents were evacuated from their homes in July following the sudden collapse of a tenement building on the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive. The street the building once stood on has been cordoned off until it is deemed safe for pedestrians and construction work is completed. The tenement had been lying derelict since it was gutted by a fire during lockdown. Read more about it in our article on the impact of fires.

Alison Phipps with Sadia Sakandar Photo by Angie Catlin

The community marks the passing of Al Khair’s Tallat Haq

news in brief

Tributes poured in for Tallat Haq, the much-loved manager of Al-Khair on Victoria Road, following her sudden passing in May. Known for her quiet activism and deep care for the Govanhill community, Tallat’s life touched many. In recognition of her legacy, Govanhill Baths Community Trust will plant a tree in her memory as part of its Creative Canopies project. The Al Khair Foundation shop she ran for over a decade now bears the name Tallat’s Humanitarian Hub – a fitting tribute to someone who tirelessly supported refugees, neighbours, and families in need.

Glasgow sees multiple arrests by Police Scotland over ‘Palestine Action’

At the beginning of July, the UK Government made it a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action, to encourage support for it, or to display merchandise or symbols ‘arousing suspicion of support’ under the Terorrism Act (2000). At the time of going to print, there had been three arrests in Glasgow relating to this issue. A man was arrested in the city centre for holding a sign that read ‘Genocide in Palestine. Time to take action’ in which the words Palestine and Action were written in larger font.

Ando Glaso Roma Fest returns this September

Ando Glaso Roma Fest – an annual celebration of Roma culture – has released its full programme of events, including dance, music and other performances. Happening in BAad on 12-13 September, the festival, now in its third year running, promises an incredible line-up of different performers. This year the opening event will showcase Roma youth culture. There’s a little something for everyone sprinkled in this year’s programme, with the inclusion of a short film competition, multiple exhibitions and an arts and crafts fair too. Tickets are already available to purchase, visit andoglaso.org/festival for more information.

Star Bar sold to new owner after 40 years

The iconic Star Bar at Eglinton Toll, best known for serving the cheapest three-course lunch in Glasgow, has been sold off to a new owner after roughly four decades without changing hands. Former owners Paul and Giovanna Marletta sold the pub off to businessman David Low, who has reportedly said he plans to keep the bar’s distinctive character and would not be changing the set-lunch menu which the Star Bar is most famous for.

New Openings

ADRIAN’S BAR 441 Victoria Road

Open Wed-Sun and occupying the spot that once housed Charlie’s Bar (and New Gandhi before that), this new LGBTQ+ space is part bar, part community hub. Adrian’s Bar opened its doors in June and has already hosted karaoke events, a secret acoustic set, and DJs.

AMBALA 475 Victoria Road

Pakistani sweet shop Ambala is opening soon. This UK chain will have to compete with long established local faves, specialising in South Asian treats like halwas, rasmalai and baklava – perfect for local sweet tooths.

CONTRA

SPECIALTY COFFEE

503 Victoria Road

The much-loved Continental Deli has become Contra, a new coffee and brunch spot on Victoria Road. The new owners have kept the iconic, old-fashioned ‘coffee’ ghost sign above the shop, which the previous owner never changed.

EIGHT COFFEE CO. 525 Victoria Road

What began as a dream to convert a horse box into a coffee truck at the Barras has grown into a bright and welcoming café on Victoria Road. Unusually for the area, it opens at from 8am Tue-Sun. Expect coffee, matcha, cakes and good vibes, with dogs very much welcome.

PISTACHIO 456 Victoria Road

A new Turkish bakery from Elif Onen, whose motto on Instagram is ‘Istanbul born, baked in Glasgow’. Alongside traditional Turkish baked goods such as börek and poğaça, Pistachio also serves up her specialism – freshly baked macarons in a wide range of flavours.

SPUDS BY MELTDOWN 32-38 Dixon Ave

The team from popular toastie spot Meltdown have launched a new venture – a food truck in the grounds of the Al Farooq Centre serving loaded spuds with halal toppings including chicken tikka masala, and chilli con carne, with lashings or garlic butter and a mountain of grated cheese.

"The colours she cannot see, I feel"

Exploring the debut solo exhibition of local Roma artist Marie Balogova, Romano Lav’s Community Catalyst, Adela Zbila, found inspiration for Roma women everywhere. In this article, she reflects on the impact of Marie’s work, her story – and the importance of inspiring Roma youth and celebrating Roma talent.

By Adela Zbila

Photos by Iain McLellan

I’m 17 years old and proud to be part of the Romano Lav team. I’ve been involved with this local charity for about three years, and it’s taught me so much – about human rights, environmental rights, immigration rights, and much more.

Being part of Romano Lav isn’t just about being on a team, it’s like being in a family. It means a lot to know there are people out there who care about the Roma community and want young Roma people to gain experience and achieve their goals.

Through the programme, I haven’t just learned; I’ve grown. I’ve become part of a beautiful community, developed new skills, and explored creative paths. We made our first Roma fiction film, as well as a documentary. I also got hands-on experience in event planning, co-hosting important events like this exhibition by Roma artist, Marie Balogova.

Her, who sees differently was the first solo exhibition by a local Roma woman at the Roma Cultural Centre on Nithsdale Street. When I met Marie for the first time, she seemed like an ordinary Roma woman. But as I got to know her and saw her talent, she gave me hope. I wanted to learn more about her. She introduced herself and showed us her art collection, and we got the chance to ask her about her process.

Marie told us she never thought anyone would be interested in her work. She said: “As a Roma woman, who would want to see my artwork?” But I told her how powerful it is for the younger generation. She’s a role model inspiring young Roma people, showing them that they can express themselves, be proud of who they are, and share their talents openly – not being afraid just because they are different.

Learning that Marie is colour blind but still creates such beautiful artwork amazed me. Her daughter helps her choose colours, which shows the love and support in her family. And that love was clear – her whole family turned out to support her at the exhibition.

As one of the co-hosts, it was an honour to introduce Marie and her artwork at the opening event. She admitted she felt nervous and wanted everything to be perfect. But the community came out to support her.

Speaking about her work, Marie said: “I am an ordinary woman with a genetic eye defect, but despite this – or because of it – I paint.

“My paintings are abstract, holy and Romani. In each of them there is a piece of my faith, identity and inner world. For me, creation is a way to cross boundaries and give shape to what I feel, but cannot express in words.”

Her words had a moving effect on the audience and made people want to support her even more. It made me think: ‘What can I do to make a difference?’

Afterwards, I spoke to Marie again and she reflected on how she felt accomplished knowing her artwork was getting seen by the Glasgow community. She was once rejected from art school just because of her colourblindness. It was hard for her to come to terms with, because it was not about talent but about something she couldn’t control. For a long time she felt left out.

But Marie told me: “Even without that school, I managed to be who I am today. I follow what I love and continue to create. And maybe that is why it is even more valuable.”

She went from losing her confidence as an artist to being proud of herself for coming this far – proud to be given the opportunity to open her own exhibition. Knowing that it was truly hers and seeing her paintings on the walls, she felt truly heard. She said: “I realised that even though my eyes are not perfect, for some my paintings are beautiful.”

roma news and views

“Barvy, které ona nevidí, já cítím”

Při zkoumání debutové samostatné výstavy místní romské umělkyně Marie Balogové našla komunitní katalyzátorka z Romano Lav, Adela Zbila, odvážnou inspiraci pro romské ženy po celém světě. V tomto článku se zamýšlí nad dopadem Mariiny práce, jejím příběhem – a nad důležitostí inspirování romské mládeže a oslavování romského talentu.

Je mi 17 let a jsem hrdá na to, že jsem součástí týmu Romano Lav. S touto místní charitou spolupracuji už asi tři roky a naučila mě toho opravdu hodně – o lidských právech, právech na životní prostředí, právech migrantů a mnohém dalším.

Být součástí Romano Lav není jen o tom být v týmu – je to jako být součástí rodiny. Hodně pro mě znamená vědomí, že existují lidé, kterým záleží na romské komunitě a kteří chtějí, aby mladí Romové získali zkušenosti a dosáhli svých cílů.

Díky tomuto programu jsem se nejen učil/a, ale i rostl/a. Stal/a jsem se součástí krásné komunity, rozvinul/a jsem nové dovednosti a vydal/a jsem se na kreativní cesty. Natočili jsme náš první romský hraný film i dokument. Také jsem získal/a praktické zkušenosti s organizováním akcí a spolumoderováním významných událostí, jako byla výstava romské umělkyně Marie Balogové.

“Ona, která vidí jinak” je první samostatná výstava místní romské ženy v Romském kulturním centru na ulici Nithsdale. Když jsem se s Marií poprvé setkala, působila jako obyčejná romská žena. Ale když jsem ji lépe poznala a viděla její talent, dala mi naději. Chtěla jsem se o ní dozvědět víc. Představila se nám, ukázala nám její sbírku umění a my jsme měli možnost se jí ptát na její tvůrčí proces.

Marie nám řekla, že si nikdy nemyslela, že by se někdo zajímal o její dílo. Řekla: „Jako romská žena –kdo by chtěl vidět moje obrazy?“ Ale já jsem jí řekla, jak silné je to pro mladou generaci. Je inspirací pro mladé Romy – ukazuje jim, že se mohou vyjadřovat, být hrdí na to, kým jsou, a sdílet své nadání otevřeně, bez strachu z toho, že jsou jiní.

Když jsem zjistila, že Marie je barvoslepá, ale přesto tvoří tak krásná díla, úplně mě to ohromilo. Její dcera jí pomáhá vybírat barvy, což ukazuje na lásku a podporu v jejich rodině. A ta láska byla zřejmá – celá její rodina přišla na výstavu, aby ji podpořila.

Jako jedenna z moderátorůek bylo pro mě ctí představit Marii a její dílo při zahájení výstavy. Přiznala, že byla nervózní a chtěla, aby všechno bylo dokonalé. Ale komunita ji přišla podpořit.

Když mluvila o své tvorbě, Marie řekla:

„Jsem obyčejná žena s dědičnou oční vadou, ale i přesto – nebo právě proto – maluji.

Moje obrazy jsou abstraktní, posvátné a romské. V každém z nich je kousek mé víry, identity a vnitřního světa. Pro mě je tvorba způsobem, jak překračovat hranice a dát tvar tomu, co cítím, ale nedokážu vyjádřit slovy.“

Její slova měla silný dopad na publikum a přimět lidi, aby ji chtěli ještě více podpořit. Přimělo mě to přemýšlet: „Co mohu udělat, abych něco změnila?“

Po akci jsem s Marií znovu mluvila a ona se zamyslela nad tím, jaký pocit naplnění má z toho, že její díla viděla komunita v Glasgow. V minulosti ji odmítli na umělecké škole jen kvůli její barvosleposti. Bylo pro ni těžké se s tím smířit, protože nešlo o její talent, ale o něco, co nemohla ovlivnit. Dlouho se cítila vyloučená.

Ale Marie mi řekla:

„I bez té školy se mi podařilo stát se tím, kým jsem dnes. Následuji to, co miluji, a pokračuji v tvorbě. A možná právě proto je to ještě cennější.“

Z člověka, který ztratil sebevědomí jako umělec, se stala žena, která je na sebe pyšná za to, jak daleko došla – hrdá, že dostala příležitost otevřít vlastní výstavu. Vědomí, že to bylo skutečně její a že její obrazy visí na zdech, jí dalo pocit, že je opravdu slyšet. Řekla: „Uvědomila jsem si, že i když moje oči nejsou dokonalé, pro některé jsou moje obrazy krásné.“

CZECH

like my grandmother used to make

Baked Ziti

Words and photo by Benjamin Kritikos

Ingredients

• 3 tins good plum tomatoes

• 3-10 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Salt & freshly-ground pepper to taste

• 250g ziti or rigatoni or another bulky pasta that bakes well

• Pot of ricotta

• Whole bunch of basil

• 1-2 cups grated parmesan

• 1-2 cups breadcrumbs

• Pepper and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for the top

Everyone understands the concept of folk music: songs made and played with local variations by ordinary people – passed on from one person to another, often for no other reason than the pleasure of singing them. But we don’t tend to think of food when the word ‘folk’ pops up, which is kind of ironic, considering that cooking is a more common cultural practice for most people than singing or playing an instrument.

The women who raised me – my grandmother, my mother, my aunts –were American women. Their Italian heritage wasn’t expressed through language or song, but in the New York suburbs where I grew up, there was no doubt about what it meant to be Italian-American. It meant that you knew how to make marinara sauce; that you ate Italian bread from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx; that you walked to the side of an arterial road with no sidewalk to pick wild greens: dandelion, mustard, ramsons.

My grandmother, who looked after me while my mom drove a taxi, and who made sure I was fed, was an ordinary suburban housewife in every other respect. The food she cooked was not Italian food – it was Italian-American food. So, like any Italian-American household, you’d always find a baked ziti in the freezer – a classic dish you wouldn’t find anywhere in Italy.

Ziti is a tube-shaped pasta – like rigatoni but without ridges. You don’t really find it in the UK. Over here, Italian cooking is often the domain of TV chefs and their branded products. But baked ziti isn’t something you buy; it’s something you make. If your neighbour’s elderly parent dies, you take them a baked ziti for the freezer. As a kid playing with friends, if I found myself at the house as late as dinnertime, out came my buddy’s mom’s baked ziti.

My friends just had a baby. I know from experience that they’ll appreciate any relief from chores like cooking. Guess what I’ve made for them?

Method

1. Fry the sliced garlic in a little bit in the oil, then tip in the tins of tomatoes and add the oregano. Simmer on a low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes have broken down – about 45 mins, or until it’s one quarter reduced.

2. Boil pasta in salted water until just before it’s al dente – when it still has bite. Mix with the sauce.

3. Tip out half into a big baking dish. Smooth into a flat layer then break up the ricotta in a layer on top of that, then a layer of handshredded basil. Tip the rest of the pasta on top and smooth it out. Cover with a layer of parmesan, then cover that with breadcrumbs. Drizzle some olive oil over the top and grate a little pepper on it.

4. You can either cover and freeze it now, or pop it in the oven at 200 degrees celsius until the top is golden and crispy – about 30-45 mins.

Tips

• Your sauce is only as good as your tomatoes and olive oil, so be discerning.

• Make your own breadcrumbs by grating or food processing stale bread.

• Swap ricotta for feta, or cover the top with mozzarella five to ten mins before it’s done baking.

My Life Before Govanhill

NOEMI RAITH

Interview by Marzanna Antoniak

Photo by Zahra Karamizade

Where are your roots?

I was born and raised in a village near Basel, Switzerland. It was a very safe place where everybody knew everybody. From the age of five, I would walk the kilometer to school by myself. I wouldn’t let my own child do the same nowadays in Glasgow.

When I was in high school in the 80s, at the height of capitalism, we were told that we could do whatever we wanted in terms of choosing a profession. This sounded amazing, but the reality was more confined. I really appreciated that there was not much gender imbalance at that time in Switzerland – despite Swiss women only getting the vote in 1971, two years before I was born. I worked as a multi-camera director for Swiss TV in Zurich for a few years, but the Swiss mentality didn’t really suit me. I found it restrictive and at times judgemental. I felt it was making me tame. I was hungry for new experiences and challenges. So when the chance presented itself, I left.

What about your education?

I always wanted to become a medical doctor but when I started studying I realised that I didn’t have a very scientific brain. I left after a year then studied German and English Literature and Linguistics. I was interested in theatre and media, so I got a job as a trainee studio director at the Swiss national broadcaster. In Scotland, I did a master’s in screenwriting and a postgrad in teaching in further education.

What about your working life in Scotland?

I came here in 2008, at the beginning of the recession, so landing a job at the BBC or STV did not happen, despite my best efforts. I ended up doing different jobs until I got some hours at the City of Glasgow College teaching TV production, which then became a full-time job. Now I want to start a family videography business. You know how you never talk to your parents in detail about their youth, their values or what they think about friendships, faith and how they handle money. I’d like to be interviewing parents so that their children can gain those insights. My father passed away 20 years ago. I don’t quite remember how his face moved when he talked or laughed. I’m not sure I can still hear the sound of his voice. I wish I had a video where I could learn about the different aspects of his life from him directly.

How did you end up in Scotland?

It’s a funny story. In my early 20s I wanted to go on holidays. I opened a map of Europe, closed my eyes and pointed. My finger went to the Isle of Harris, in the Western Isles. So that’s where I went. I didn’t have money to rent a car, so I hitchhiked around the island. I made a good friend that way, and a few years later met his sister who lived in Glasgow. She also became a very good pal. After many visits to Scotland, I got together with her other brother. We got married in a church in Govanhill.

Sadly, the marriage didn’t last. So I went to stay in Shawlands with a very kind lady from the church. She’s one of my best friends, and really supported me during a tricky time. When I met my new partner, I didn’t want to move away from the Southside. So we found a derelict, affordable flat in Ascog Street and moved to Govanhill in 2015. I have remained at the Queen’s Park Govanhill Parish Church, and for a time I worked in their soup kitchen.

How did you find living in Govanhill?

I find the mix of people invigorating. Govanhill is such a lively, creative space full of possibilities. I feel a bit sad how the Roma community are misunderstood, with some people finding their standing on the street corners threatening. In Switzerland, we have many Italian immigrants who would sometimes also socialise outside, so I totally understood where that comes from.

Govanhill has always been a transient and changing area, because the housing was cheap. The diversity of the shops is fab too. I have tried most of the cafés and back in the day a good amount of the pubs. I used to go to the breastfeeding café in Daisy Street when my first son was wee.

For us, the only issue became space; with a growing family, we were looking for a bigger property, a house if possible. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many in Govanhill. So we sold our flat to a lovely couple and moved to Govan. I still miss Govanhill; I felt more at home there.

Style Icon

Jen Dawson

Interview by giacinta frisillo

Portrait by Iain McLellan

Recently retired after 35 years working in community education, Southsider and charity shop frequenter, Jen Dawson isn’t slowing down – she’s shifting focus. She’s planning to offer baby massages, storytelling and early-years sessions locally. Her style? Comfort with character, bold colour and a signature hat to top it all off – always.

Hi Jen! Tell me about what you're wearing today – that incredible blue number in the picture. I’m wearing a leather coat and boots from Vinted, a La Redoute dress, tights from Etsy, a blue messenger bag from Visconti, and a blue trilby from Village Hats.

Do you have a favourite article of clothing? What is it? And why do you love it?

A hand-stitched floral corduroy coat bought in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul – it was my first introduction to haggling. It was being sold as a dress, but it’s so big I wear it as a coat. I think I got a good deal! It brings back wonderful memories of time spent in Istanbul.

What accessory could you not live without? Why?

Hats – I love them, from a trilby to a fedora – I’m not properly dressed without one. Also helps with a bad hair day. And, I like funky tights! I have more heels and boots than one person needs!

How would you describe your style?

I don’t know how I would describe it. I like things that are a bit different, but ultimately what I feel comfortable with.

Where do you get most of your clothes?

I used to buy all of my clothes, shoes and tights in Spain, until outlets such as Zara, Sfera and Camper became available in the UK. No longer unique, I still wear all of the previous purchases, but now buy clothes and shoes from La Redoute, supermarket chains and Vinted. I also love a good charity shop forage.

Do different colors, textures or prints make you feel a certain way? I love green, blue, brown and black. Neutrals. It depends on the season. Autumn is perfect for me. Rich tones, long coats, hats and boots.

Who's your style icon?

To be honest, I don't have one. I have sometimes received comments that certain outfits are very ‘Mary Quant’.

How do you decide what to wear when you wake up?

This depends on how I feel when I wake up and what I have planned for the day. I enjoy colour-coordinating my outfit – from the hat, shoes, tights and even watch strap!

What can’t you leave the house without – other than your prized hats?

I’m not properly dressed without scent. It depends on the season but I always come back to Tom Ford's Tabac Vanille. People always seem to comment on it. But the very last thing I always put on before I leave the house are my rings – they are unique and all tell a story.

stories from our streets

CALDER Street

By Devon McCole

Photo by Laura Vroomen

Etymology and origins

Calder Street may well be one of Govanhill’s best known streets – rich in cultural, social and political history that lives on in local architecture and in the hearts and minds of its residents.

The name ‘Calder’ has Gaelic origins, deriving from ‘coille dur’ meaning ‘wooded river’ but the origin of the street’s name is less clear.

The street first began taking shape in the early 19th century, when it was part of an area known as Fireworks Village. It was a company village which housed miners working for the Dixon family’s Iron Works and Govan Colliery. On a map from 1822 the area was recorded as ‘Houses of Fire Work,’ before becoming more widely known as Firework Village.

The rapid growth of Dixon’s businesses meant the expansion of Fireworks Village, with the addition of cottages, tenements, schools and other notable buildings spurred on by a growing population. It soon evolved into the Burgh of Govanhill at the latter end of the 19th century.

Notable buildings, people and events

The Calder Street School opened its doors to pupils in 1875. Now known as Holy Cross Primary School, it was the first public school and is the oldest building in the area. In the 1880s, as the population of Govanhill increased, the school began taking on more pupils and an extension was proposed. Some parents rejected the idea, worried their children would have to mix with those from a lower class, reflecting the Victorian classist attitudes and the close proximity of the different classes in Govanhill.

The Govanhill Library, one of the Carnegie libraries established in Glasgow by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, opened its doors in 1906. Eleven years later, so did Calder Street Baths and Wash House, better known today as Govanhill Baths. Designed by Scottish architect A.B McDonald (who also designed plans for Bellahouston Park, Pollockshields District Library and the People’s Palace), the baths were completed in 1917, two years after his death.

A century later, the baths became the site of the longest occupation of a building in Britain when, in 2001, residents rallied together to prevent its demolition during the Save Our Pool campaign.

Somewhere in between those dates, a man was subject to a most unfortunate crime there, leading to an article in the Sunday Post in 1963 titled ‘Who Pinched Willie’s Clothes at Calder Street Baths’.

Another notable building was the Calder Cinema built in 1932, with its distinctive red-tiled roof, standing back to back with the (still standing) Govanhill Picture House. In fact it was one of four cinemas in Govanhill. But it was eventually closed in 1967, becoming a bingo hall in the 70s before being demolished in the 80s.

But if historical architecture, classic cinema, public bath hijinks or the radical history of community activism isn’t your thing, true crime lovers may (morbidly) enjoy this bit of trivia: Anthony Miller, the second-last person to be executed by hanging in Scotland, was convicted of killing John Cremin during a robbery gone wrong in Queen’s Park Recreation Ground. His accomplice, 16-year-old James Donovan – who acted as ‘bait’ to lure gay men into muggings – lived with his family on Calder Street.

Your Memories of CALDER Street

For David Galloway who lived in the area in the 1950s and ’60s, Calder Street meant three things: the baths, the library, and Pennie’s fish and chip shop. “It didn’t have a sit-in like the Unique on Allison Street, but my mum insisted Pennie’s chips were better. I was sent there for the family tea every few weeks.”

Joe Jarvie, who lived at 296 Calder Street, has a vivid early memory of a trip to the Calder Cinema: “My mum took me to see Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and had to take me home –I wouldn’t stop crying when she ‘died’ after eating the poisoned apple. I was about four.”

Amar Shakoor grew up on Westmoreland Street and spent summers at the Calder Street Baths with his pals. “I went to Cuthbertson Primary” he said “and on the way back from school popped into Mrs Young’s paper shop next to Paddy Neeson’s pub.”

For Lorraine Borland Dunbar, the baths were a regular ritual. She remembers her mother: “went to the steamie every Tuesday, with all the clothes wrapped in sheets and pushed in a pram. My brother and I weren’t allowed in, so we sat at the front, bored rigid. We were always relieved to see her at the mangle – it meant she was nearly finished.”

MICHAEL RODGERS HAIRDRESSING Behind the Chair

“Somebody once told me this is the longest running business on Vicky Road” beams Michael Rodgers, owner of the self-titled and much-loved hair salon. “I don’t know how true that is, but the customer was sure of it.”

Along with his wife and son – Irene and Chris – Michael is celebrating 40 years in the same location, near the junction with Torrisdale Street. As a tight-knit family of hairdressers, their longevity in times when many longstanding salons have fallen by the wayside says much about their collective skillset and loyal customer base.

Born and bred in Govanhill, Michael reflects on the start of his journey: “I got into hairdressing because I was terrible at joinery and metalwork in school and I didn’t want to get a job as a mechanic or anything because people would make fun of me. I was straight out of school and I had an aunt who had a hairdressers in Govan, so it was suggested I take it up.”

With a faithful client list, including one woman who travels from Dundee, the family salon has a tad of the quirky about it. Behind the shop window, laid out in a three-level glass cabinet is Chris’ array of toy figurines – from Han Solo to a set of Power Rangers. The display attracts collectors and children alike.

On entering the salon, customers are greeted by Lola, the alluring mannequin who has been a feature for many years. With a regular change of clothes and wigs, Irene admits some of their young male clientele can’t help but ask to have a photo taken with her.

After years in the business, Michael and Irene have seen it all. “I’ve met a lot of famous hairdressers and the only one I regret never meeting was Vidal Sassoon,” Michael says. Irene reminisces of being a model at all the big hairdressing shows in the days when they were held in legendary city centre venues like the Locarno Ballroom.

Join writer Cat Cochrane on a journey through the Southside’s many salons and barbers as she gets to know the people behind the chair.

By Cat Cochrane

Michael and Irene could fill a book with their own anecdotes. They speak with genuine fondness for their regular customers over the years, along with the highs and lows of training new starts. “I had a junior 40 years ago,” Michael laughs. “Back then, they were in for a week and I’d be regretting employing them, so I would let them go because they were hopeless or cheeky. But one of the ones I fired came in 20 years later and said, ‘I used to work for you and I loved it!’ They were only here for a bloody week or so.”

The salon has also had its pick of famous customers including actor Peter Mullen and Fergus Ewing MSP. Scottish rock sensations Biffy Clyro once hired out the salon to shoot promo shots, leaving a bottle of tequila as a special thanks.

Speaking of the successful dynamic that’s held together for over half a century, Irene says: “It’s always been a very interesting job, you meet such lovely people. You meet one or two that aren’t, but there’s ways of dealing with that in the salon”. Nodding at Michael she adds: “He tends to be sharp and loses the rag sometimes, but I’m the calm one.”

Clearly every day in the salon is different, filled with little random moments, as Michael shares: “About a week ago I was doing a regular customer’s hair and this woman walked in. She says ‘are you still here? I've been everywhere but you’re the best bob cutter I’ve ever had.’ And my customer sat in the chair was killing herself laughing when I said, ‘Aye that might be true, but she’s walked out and never even made an appointment.’”

Still going strong in the fortieth year with his name above the door, Michael reflects: “I’m very fortunate that I do something for a living that I really like… all I worry about is surviving as a business and giving customers good haircuts.”

Photos by Alison Johansson

Cows South Side of the

Words and photos by Raymie Kiernan

The next time you're soaking up the view from the Queen’s Park flagpole, rather than looking north across rooftops to The Campsie Fells and Kilsyth Hills, spin around and consider what lies to the south beyond Netherton Braes.

A quick escape is closer than you think.

In less than half an hour you can be high above the noise, surrounded by green fields – crossing an old stone bridge over the White Cart Water, catching glimpses of Ben Lomond in the distance, and sharing the path with just a few grazing cows.

If you've not discovered the cows of the Southside (that don't live in Pollok Park) here are some ideas for the next time you fancy a new walk and a bit of fresh air.

This is far from a definitive guide but it provides a few stopping off points, easily accessed by public transport. They might lead you somewhere unexpected – up a hill, through a field, or nose-to-nose with one of Glasgow’s lesser-known locals.

Balgray Reservoir

Catch the Neilston train to Neilston

The first part of this is possibly better as a cycle than a walk. Exit Neilston station on to Kingston Rd and head away from the centre of the village, then turn left onto Kirkton Rd.

Following Springhill, Glanderston and Balgraystone roads will take you a few miles to a large reservoir, part of the Dams to Darnley Park. There are amazing views from high on the hills across the whole city and more. Enjoy the walk down through the glen to Darnley and catch a No.57 bus from Kennishead Rd, which can get you back to Pollokshaws Rd.

Earn Water

Catch a No.4 bus (to Newton Mearns) from Victoria Rd and get off at Waterfoot Rd bus stop

Get off the bus and wander south along Mearns Rd, departing on to Humbie Rd and follow until you find a sign for Old Drove Rd just before crossing the Earn Water, which feeds into the White Cart River down at Waterfoot. Heading north the Old Drove Rd connects to Waterfoot Rd. Pass the school and round to the right you can rejoin the Old Drove Rd on the left. Passing through a little estate you can wind your way by Mearns Castle Golf Course down to Flenders Rd.

Flenders Road

Catch a No.4 bus (to Newton Mearns) from Victoria Rd and get off at Waterfoot Rd bus stop

For a short walk, head west along Flenders Rd through the farm and follow the green patch with edges of Clarkston and Newton Mearns on either side (passing Greenbank Garden) to Mearns Rd. Take a No.4 bus back from here or continue via the right-of-way path through Cathcart Castle golf course to Whitecraigs train station to head back on the Neilston line.

Thorntonhall

Catch a No.4 bus (to Newton Mearns) from Victoria Rd and get off at Waterfoot Rd bus stop

For a longer walk, go east up Waterfoot Rd to Thortonhall via Peel Rd. Another option could be a diversion around Holehouse Rd to connect to Peel Rd, where you could also take the longer way round (passing twice under the orbital road) via Thornton Rd to Thorntonhall. Catch the train back to Crossmyloof from here, or continue through Thortonhall to the big roundabout where you can take a No.6 bus back. If you still feel like walking you can keep going beyond the roundabout to Carmunnock via Waterside Rd.

Cathkin Braes / Cathkin Marsh Wildlife Reserve / Coulter’s Wood

Catch a No.31 bus from Cathcart Rd to the end of its route in Carmunnock

Among the options is a visit to Cathkin Braes, or a wander along a return loop on the quiet roads where you could get sidetracked at Cathkin Marsh Wildlife Reserve, or maybe cut the loop short through the peaceful Coulter’s Wood.

Survey finds need for more inclusive football environments

By a Southside football fan

Football has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I spent my childhood in Southside playgrounds playing every spare moment. But to go any further? To go to the games? To play competitive games? Honestly, it scared me. It still does.

It’s the vitriol in the performance of a football fan; the language and atmosphere, the level of alcohol consumption, the violence, and the psychosis of forgetting it is meant to be a game – a shared roleplay of putting a ball into a net.

Of course, here in Glasgow, an interplay of political, cultural and religious issues surrounds Old Firm games in particular. More generally, there are issues of footballrelated disorder, hooliganism, domestic violence on match days, and antisocial behaviour. It has become habitual; it has become cultural; and now it has become expected. And whether or not you like football, if you live in Glasgow, you can’t escape it.

I’ve long felt a sense of in-betweenness. Not straight enough to be straight. Not man enough to be a man. Not enough of a Celtic/Rangers fan to be a Celtic/Rangers fan. If I stand on the terraces or sit in a club-affiliated bar, I feel uncomfortable – not enough of a fan to be entirely embraced.

That discomfort only deepened when I joined a Southside 5-a-side league, where my team faced racist and homophobic abuse – culminating in a spectator spitting in our goalkeeper’s face. We left the league.

I knew this tension between loving football and feeling unsafe within it isn’t unique to me. So I surveyed LGBTQ+ people in the Southside, asking about their experiences. The results are eye-opening.

81 percent of queer players feel safer playing with Other queer people

Of the respondents surveyed, 81 percent said they feel safer playing with other queer people than with straight men. Only 7 percent expressed no preference, and 12 percent said it depended on context, such as knowing people in the group or it being explicitly inclusive.

“I generally don’t feel safe around a group of straight men,” one respondent wrote.

“When I’ve played with straight male strangers before, I’ve found them to be not just competitive, but aggressive.”

This wasn’t just a matter of perception – it reflected real experiences. Over 40 percent of respondents said they had experienced or witnessed verbal or physical aggression when playing

football in mainstream settings. Many referenced slurs, patronising behaviour, and “banter” that quickly crossed lines.

“It’s nice to assume that they’ll be fine about it,” one wrote, but experience shows they’re often chucking about slurs as insults to each other… it builds an association.”

Even those hesitant to generalise noted they would only join a group if a queer friend vouched for it. The culture, not the individuals, was the issue. Some cited toxic masculinity, homophobia, or micro-aggressions as endemic to certain football environments.

Queer spaces offer safety – and joy

In contrast, queer football settings were overwhelmingly described as “chill,” “supportive,” and “respectful.”

Nearly 80 percent said they actively prefer playing with other queer people, citing shared values, lower aggression, and greater emotional safety.

One said: “In my opinion, the queer community has suffered oppression... and is more conscious about holding a safe, understanding environment.”

Though some respondents acknowledged competitiveness or trans-exclusion in rare cases, the overwhelming consensus was that queer football teams provided refuge, friendship and fun.

But the very idea of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in football has taken a knock with the FA and Scottish FA’s transgender ruling, banning transgender men and women from playing with their gender identity. In 2022, Scotland’s Census found that 19,990 people were trans or had a trans history. This is 0.44 percent of people aged 16 and over. To discriminate against such a small population of people, only a fraction of whom will even want to play football, is unjust.

People just want to play football in an environment that makes sense to them, where they feel at home and accepted for who they are. Why would we ever want to discourage someone from that?

Early exclusion has lasting impacts

In one of the most heartbreaking findings, over 60 percent of participants said they stopped playing football in their youth due to discomfort, fear of being outed, or feeling unwelcome: “Like many queers, I just opted out of sport at a certain point...” said one. I didn’t really play from my teens until I was in my 30s.”

Another shared: “I was hospitalised in high school at a party for being queer,

essentially by lads in tracksuits who I’d associate with football and drinking culture.”

And yet, the joy of returning to the pitch – in a supportive setting – was transformative for many: “My mind was blown when at the ripe old age of 34, I started playing football with a bunch of queers and was confronted with the fact that football without the homophobia is utter class!”

I understand the struggle of not feeling at home in the environments I love, and wonder if I had been openly gay or trans, would I have ever watched or played football at all due to the fear of ostracisation.

FIFA estimates that there are around 130,000 professional footballers in the men’s game, yet there are only a few current active players, such as Jake Daniels and Jakub Jankto, who have come out as gay publicly.

Football without hostility

We know that football culture can harbour aggression. According to the UK Government’s statistics, during the 2024-25 domestic football season in England and Wales, there were 1,932 football-related arrests – all relating to men’s football – marking an 11 percent decrease from the previous season. Despite this decline, reported incidents at matches rose by 18 percent, with 1,583 matches – half of all games –seeing at least one reported issue.

The Scottish Government does not release this same data, so I contacted the Police Scotland to ask for figures on football-related offences but was informed “there are no search markers or searchable fields within our crime recording system that would indicate a crime or offence was ‘football related’.

Previously, people could be prosecuted under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. But it was repealed in 2018 – in part because campaigners argued that it led to young men from deprived communities having their prospects blighted by criminal records classing them as sectarian offenders. Since then, Scotland has relied on existing common law and statutory offences to address any criminal behavior at football matches.

Building community

After the pandemic, my friend asked me if I wanted to help in playing and building a Southside queer football community to create an environment that allows people to play and feel safe to grow – to bring the best of

themselves forward, and to develop teamwork and healthy competition.

It has been my involvement with this group that has reinvigorated my love of playing and watching football. I believe by being involved (in even just this small way) in the LGBTQ+ community, I have become a friendlier, more understanding person.

The responses to my survey underscore a clear call: inclusive football isn’t a niche desire, it’s essential for ensuring LGBTQ+ people can engage in sport without fear or discomfort. Many advocated for youth-oriented queer football opportunities, acknowledging how early exclusion can limit lifelong access to the sport.

While the barriers are clear, so too is the joy that comes from reclaiming football in inclusive environments. This is about more than feeling safe –it’s about being seen, celebrated, and empowered to play.

Inclusive football teams in and around the Southside

Camp Hellcats FC

Community football club open to all marginalised genders and all footballing abilities for competitive or friendly games. Meet on Mondays and Wednesdays in Toryglen.

Cathkin Blazes

A football club in the Southside for women and non-binary people who want to learn to play football in a non-judgemental space. It is LGBTQ+ and trans-friendly.

Gender Goals FC

The first in Scotland to be run by and exclusively for trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming individuals. They organise weekly recreational training sessions and participate in an inclusive 5-a-side league at Goals in Shawlands.

Glasgow Pride Community FC

Specifically for marginalised genders, including cis women, trans women, trans men, nonbinary people, and intersex people. They offer both casual weekly training sessions and competitive play in various leagues.

Southside Queer Kickabout

Open to all identifying as LGBTQ+ and allies. Runs informal mixed ability and experience 5-a-side or 6-a-side games twice a week at Goals in Queen’s Park.

Bakeries, bike lanes and boarded up shops Bakeries, and up shops

Bakeries, bike lanes and boarded up shops

Examining the evolution of Vicky Road

By Joanne Krus

In our last issue, we heard from local shopkeepers and residents with their reflections on the changing nature of our local shopping streets. For this issue, Joanne Krus dug into the data to see what has actually changed.

he changing nature of Govanhill can be a contentious issue and, in many ways, the changing face of Vicky Road has become a byword of the gentrification of the area. But how much has it really changed – and why?

While there will always be discussions on what constitutes gentrification, there is real concern that the shifting make-up of the high street comes with higher rents and less practical amenities. As one of Scotland's most diverse areas and one of the most disadvantaged (according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), many have concerns about residents of Govanhill being left behind by the negative impacts of gentrification –namely rising rents.

A street with deep roots

A 1912 guidebook described Victoria Road as ‘a cavalcade of emporia’. More than a century later, the description still (kind of) fits. According to a 2023 report by Glasgow City Council, the street acts as a ‘town centre’ and remains a key shopping corridor, lined with shops, offices and workshops. The report is part of the Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, which aims to help people meet their daily needs locally and sustainably.

In profiling Govanhill, the same report notes its population of 14,412 of which 4,428 are children and young people aged between 0-24 years, with roughly a third of the population from ethnic

minority backgrounds. The report also notes high levels of overcrowded housing and low car ownership, meaning access to local services isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential.

So how do we track what’s happening?

There isn’t any record of the changing shops, so I set out to find out using the hi-tech approach of walking up and down the street with a pen and paper. I then did the same thing on Google Street View, which has been updating every couple of years since 2008. I selected 2008, 2015, 2020 and 2025 to create a dataset reflecting how the storefronts had changed over the years. While this is by no means a flawless dataset, the historical Street View provides valuable snapshots.

(If you fancy a little nostalgic wander yourself, head to Google Street View, then select ‘See more dates’.)

To keep the focus manageable, I studied the section from Kebabish Grill (323–325 Victoria Road) to Queen’s Park Cafe (530 Victoria Road). These two businesses, haven’t changed since 2008. The Queen’s Park Cafe was established 1898; while Kebabish is a comparative newcomer, having been around since 2005.

Of the 120 storefronts I surveyed, just over a quarter (32) have remained unchanged in 17 years. These include Ramsey’s chippy, Callenders Beds, Chalmer opticians and Sunshine Electrical.

What’s new –and what’s gone

Probably to no one's surprise, the biggest statistical shift has been the huge increase in restaurants, cafes, bakeries and other sweet treats. [Ed: Indeed three new ones have opened since this research was undertaken!] In 2008, Greggs was the closest thing Vicky Road had to a bakery, but now people looking to satisfy a craving can pick from 10 bakeries and dessert shops. The number of restaurants, cafes and coffee shops has also risen from 13 in 2008 to 20 today.

There are also five grocers now, when there were none in 2008. This may reflect the growth in small businesses catering to the different food cultures of Govanhill’s diverse community.

The variety of shops has also decreased by 17 percent. Florists, greeting cards, travel agents and pet shops no longer exist at all on this stretch. Most of these businesses were gone before the pandemic, suggesting that Covid-19 has had little impact on the diversity of shops – even before any lockdowns, many people had switched to getting their flowers, cards at supermarkets or online

Many of the shops that have disappeared from the area sold household appliances and clothes. In 2015, there were five clothes shops, but today, the only clothes shop left is Campbell's Boys' Shop, selling children's uniforms. South Asian fabric shops were once more common, but

now tend to be concentrated in the (more affordable) Cathcart Road or Allison Street. Essential services have been more stable. Pharmacies, opticians, dentists and legal advisors have decreased slightly, but residents still have several options in each category, with several lasting the distance. Perhaps more concerning is the rise in vacant shops, with now over 10 percent of Vicky Road's storefronts sitting empty. This may be due to the increase in commercial rates making high footfall locations unaffordable to many small businesses.

The planning picture

We also took a look at the data around planning in the area. Out of 118 planning applications related to commercial properties on Vicky Road between 2008–2025, nine proposals sought to convert shops into cafés (Class 1 to Class 3), and 31 applications involved digital signage, such as LED screens or illuminated advertising. The most common outcome overall was ‘approval with conditions’: 82 applications fell into this category, while only two were granted outright, and nine were withdrawn.

A total of 24 applications were refused – mostly concentrated in a few areas: 10 of the 24 refused applications related to digital signage, while 2 were café conversions, and 12 were other types; ranging from shopfront alterations to office reclassifications.

The stories behind the shopfronts

While some changes on Vicky Road reflect wider economic shifts – like the rise of online retail or the decline of specialist shops – others are more rooted in local planning, policy and investment. Whether these changes are symbols of gentrification, or simply evolution of cultural and consumer habits, depends on who you ask.

Victoria Road, and its turnover of shops, tells a complex story – one of resilience and reinvention. As we continue to explore questions of ownership and power in Govanhill, the shopfronts of Vicky Road can present a visible index of who is served by these changes – and who gets left behind.

We have also begun work investigating who owns Govanhill, looking specifically at the concentration of ownership of commercial properties in the neighbourhood. If you have experiences – good or bad – with a commercial or residential landlord in the neighbourhood, we’d love to hear from you. Please email newsroom@greatergovanhill.com with the title ‘Who owns Govanhill’ in the subject line or scan here.

Types of shop on Victoria Road

GOVANHILL GAME OF LIFE

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FROM HOMES TO ASSETS

How did we get into this mess?

More than a century after Mary Barbour’s rent strike changed history, Glasgow is once again in a housing crisis. Reanne Sutton and Raymie Kiernan trace how our homes became commodities – and ask what it would take to put people back at the centre of housing.

FROM RENT STRIKES TO RIGHT TO BUY: A CENTURY OF SHIFTING CONTROL

By Reanne Sutton

Over a century ago, the Glasgow Women’s Housing Association helped spark a housing revolution. As the first world war began, thousands arrived into the city to work in shipyards and munitions factories, sending demand for housing soaring. During this period, 90 percent of the housing stock was owned by private landlords and the law was firmly on the side of the landlord.

In February 1915, landlords decided to collectively raise all rents by 25 percent. With many men away at war, it was left to the women to organise. Led by Mary Barbour, the South Govan Women’s Housing Association mobilised 20,000 tenants to strike. Rent strike posters were plastered on windows, bailiffs were blocked from evictions, and court actions sparked street demonstrations.

Eventually, the UK government relented and passed the 1915 Rent Restriction Act – freezing the rent to 1914 levels unless landlords could prove that improvements were made. This was the first comprehensive European enactment controlling rent.

The legacy of the strikers was to change the living conditions of millions of people during the war, and it set the tone for the changes at home. After the war was over, the beginnings of council housing emerged as a response to privately-rented slums – and to be able to house returning soldiers. Council housing ramped up massively again after the second world war for similar reasons.

In the 1960s, the Parker Morris Committee set standards for minimum floor and storage space in new social housing. Their housing design even considered that residents would be able to move furniture around their homes. These principles were adopted by private developers, setting a benchmark for liveable homes.

By 1975 in Glasgow, a mere five percent of the housing stock was privately owned, while 54 percent was socially owned.

But by 1980, the winds of neoliberalism were firmly blowing. The Thatcher government introduced the ‘Right to Buy,’ setting off a mass sell-off of council homes. Liveable housing standards, such as those proposed by the Parker Morris Committee, were quietly abandoned. Private developers ushered in a wave of smaller, lower-quality homes. In 1988, the Housing Act removed security of tenure and rent controls.

Then in 1996, buy-to-let mortgages kicked off a new era of landlordism.

Glasgow Housing Timeline

Photo by Thomas Cornwallis

THE GLASGOW SOCIAL HOUSING SELL-OFF AND ITS LEGACY

By Raymie Kiernan

“The really sad thing about the whole issue is that we have sold off for next to nothing something that is not ours to sell in the first place… Can we really look at our kids now and say they’ll be okay that there will be a council house for them in the future? This is going to come back and haunt us all, believe me.”

These prophetic words from ‘Mary’, a longstanding tenant campaigner in south west Glasgow, were recorded by academic researchers for a paper published in 2005. Mary’s words are food for thought today as the city faces a ‘housing emergency’, declared by the city council last year, 22 years after its leaders shed responsibility for its housing stock.

Mary and others fought against council housing stock transfer for many years until 7 March 2003 when New Labour got its way and 80,000 council homes were no longer under democratic control.

We should all wonder what kind of difference more affordable publicly-controlled housing could make to everyone struggling to meet their rents in today’s expensive rental market. It wasn’t always like this and it doesn’t have to remain this way.

Once, social housing was the norm. Historically, the council in Glasgow was one of Europe’s largest landlords. At the end of the 1970s, council housing stock stood at around 180,000 homes but still the waiting list was over 100,000-strong.

The push to transfer council homes out of public hands had been building. The Thatcher government’s Right to Buy scheme, introduced in 1980, led to over 25,000 homes in Glasgow being sold by the late 1990s. By 2016, half a million Scottish homes had been sold under the policy, but only 163,000 were replaced. Many are now in the hands of private landlords. Councils were legally prevented from reinvesting all profits back into housing, and according to a BBC investigation, homeowners made £2.3 billion in profit between 2000 and 2016.

“Who do you want to run housing?” is a big question, and it was one asked in a survey sent to council housing tenants in Glasgow at the turn of the century. The New Labour leadership of

Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Executive was pushing to transfer council housing stock out of public hands.

There was huge opposition to the council housing transfer to the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) quango, but it was a David vs Goliath battle. On one side was a high profile multi-million pound Scottish Executive-funded campaign, including an expensively produced monthly newsletter and a video dispatched to all tenants. On the other, were tenant and community campaigners with some support from trade unionists.

Campaigners claim that millions of pounds were also wasted by the council until it got the result it wanted. For example, in one tenant survey, a majority said they wanted the council to remain as their landlord. But in the next survey, that option wasn’t available. Still, many tenants made clear they wanted more investment and did not think transferring public housing stock out of public control was a good idea.

A bright future of investment and a £900 million debt write-off was promised if they voted yes. A No vote was simply presented as a vote for poor quality housing, a low level of service, with no investment on offer.

Some said that rather than being an exercise in tenant participation, stock transfer was more like a loaded gun at their heads. There was no tenant or trade union involvement at all in the preparation of the transfer proposals. Instead the elected representatives of tenants and workers were marginalised and ignored.

For years, tenants had received poor service and lack of investment. In the run-up to the ballot the council had suspended repairs due to a lack of money leading to a further decline. When change was presented to tenants, it seemed worth trying; surely it would be better than what they had been suffering. When public service appears as a state of decline, it can be hard to see how transformation can come through public means.

In the end, the fate of a public asset – over 80,000 homes – was decided by only 37 per cent of all eligible tenants who actually voted for

Late 1990s

25,000 council homes become privately owned

UK Homeowners make £2.3billion in profit from buy-to-let scheme

with only 163,000 replaced

transfer, with 27 per cent rejecting it outright. That’s a small number of people to decide the future of public housing in the city.

Yet the idea that the state should provide affordable housing for rent, and that council housing has a social and welfare role, was under attack through stock transfer. Social housing and those who lived in it became looked down upon. The right to safe, decent homes has been chipped away at for decades.

In the 23 years since the social housing sell-off in Glasgow the bright future promised to tenants hasn’t materialised. The city’s housing emergency – with a number of children in ‘housing limbo,’ homelessness and unaffordable rents – is a legacy of this transfer. Social housing’s welfare role was not only weakened by policy, but stigmatised by design.

HOUSING AS INVESTMENT: THE COMMODIFICATION OF OUR HOMES

By Reanne Sutton

In 2025, being a landlord is big business. In fact, there are more buy-to-let property companies registered at Companies House than any other type of business. That includes restaurants, bars, or hairdressers (and by quite some margin).

The language around it has become so financialised, you’d almost forget you were talking about a basic human right. Homes instead are now ‘assets’, scarcity is ‘demand’, and rent becomes ‘yield’. With long waits to access social housing, business savvy private landlords now dominate the rental sector.

An interesting development of landlordism 2.0 is that landlords no longer need to live near their property or physically collect rents from tenants. Now, you can simply put your feet up miles away and have an agency to do the leg work for you.

According to Holborn Property Investments: ‘The UK property market has a rich history of providing safe, secure and profitable investment opportunities for overseas investors.’

So, who are our landlords?

Through a Freedom of Information request to Glasgow City Council, the declared home or business addresses of registered landlords have been revealed. While most landlords are registered in the UK, a significant 3,412 are not – as shown in the chart below. The data reflects the addresses provided at the time of registration, which may be a personal residence or a business location, and not necessarily the landlord’s actual place of residence.

Many of these countries are also known to be tax havens. This makes it difficult to identify the real owners and, while not illegal, raises concerns about accountability, potential tax avoidance, and money laundering – and can make it harder for tenants to know who their landlord is or assert their rights.

Glasgow City Council refused to provide the postcodes of the foreign landlords properties, or their annual yield, so as to not reveal their identities. But you can find out where your landlord is based by going to the Scottish Landlord Register: www.landlordregistrationscotland.gov.uk/search

Is it your landlord who ‘lives’ in the Cayman Islands? We’d love to know what you find. Help us build a picture of who owns Govanhill by sharing info about your landlord here:

Number of Glasgow landlords registered in known tax havens

How many Glasgow landlords are registered in countries outside of the UK

£115,000

STREET-LEVEL PROFITS ON ALLISON STREET

By Raymie Kiernan

According to the Office of National Statistics in June 2025, the average monthly private rent in Greater Glasgow was £1,239 – a 4.8 percent rise compared to 2024. The average house price in May 2025 was £188,000, up 8.3 percent from the previous year. Both of these increases were above the national average.

But how do these figures compare locally?

To explore rising house prices in the area, I looked at Allison Street, which cuts through Govanhill from East to West – combing back through all entries on property website Zoopla over the past ten years to create a dataset showing sale prices.

It offers a stark, local view of the current state of affairs. There are 97 registered sales on the street in the past 10 years. Not all entries have full data – 19 give only sale price and date, 12 were unavailable – but the available figures still tell a story.

Some flats once listed as one-bedrooms were resold as two-bedroom flats, likely renovated for higher returns. A few three-bed flats later sold as two-bedroom units. Renovation and reconfiguration are clearly part of the profit model.

Across the board, average sold prices jumped from around £96,772 in 2022 to £141,468 in 2024 – a 46 percent increase in just two years.

And then there are the profits:

• A two-bedroom bought for £56,000 in 2022 was resold for £150,000 in 2024 – a £94,000 profit in just two years

• Another flat purchased for £65,000 in 2022 was resold in 2024 for £115,000, gaining £50,000

• A flat listed for £50,000 in 2022 sold for £75,000 the same year, and again in 2023 for £100,000 – doubling in value in a year

Whether are these are intentional ‘flips’ – developers buying and selling for profit – is unclear from the data alone.

Allison Street is not exceptional. It’s indicative. It shows how property has become a vehicle for profit in Glasgow – not security or community, but speculation.

£100,000

£75,000

£50,000

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

From the 1915 rent strikes to the 2003 stock transfer and the rise of the foreign investor landlord, Glasgow’s housing system has been reshaped around profit rather than people. But it’s not irreversible.

The city has been here before. And it has fought back before. Organised tenants can still shape policy. Rent controls (that were lifted in April) can be reinstated. Public housing can be reclaimed and reimagined.

The question remains: who do we want to run housing?

And more importantly, who is housing really for?

SCOTLAND SEES RISE IN MEASLES CASES

Why it’s back and

what we can do about it

After decades of progress, Scotland is witnessing a concerning resurgence of measles, a disease once nearly eradicated through effective vaccination programs. Already in 2025, over 25 cases have been confirmed across the country, including several in Glasgow and three here in Govanhill. Health experts warn that unless vaccination rates improve, these numbers could continue to rise.

WHAT IS MEASLES – AND WHY IS IT SERIOUS?

Measles is not just a highly infectious childhood rash, but the most infectious of all diseases transmitted through the respiratory route. It causes fever, cough and a distinctive rash, and can also lead to severe illness, causing pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) – particularly in immune-compromised individuals. It is also more severe in pregnancy, increasing the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or preterm delivery.

Before vaccines were introduced, measles caused significant childhood illness and death across Scotland. Tragically, at least one child death related to measles infection has already been reported in the UK this year – in Liverpool this July.

WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?

In 2024, Scotland reported 24 laboratory-confirmed measles cases, a stark increase from just one case in each of the previous two years. Alarmingly, by early July 2025, 27 cases have already been confirmed, suggesting an accelerating trend.

According to Public Health Scotland, these cases were mostly in people who were unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. Some were linked to international travel – including visits to Dubai, India, Morocco and Vietnam – but many spread locally, especially in under-immunised communities.

Fourteen of those infected were completely unvaccinated, and only two had received both recommended doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.

WHAT’S THE IMMUNISATION PICTURE LIKE GENERALLY?

As a public health measure, immunisations are very effective in reducing infection and the associated burden of disease. Following the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1968 and the introduction of the MMR vaccine in 1988, infections in Scotland decreased dramatically.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that to achieve herd immunity nationally, at least 95 percent of children must be vaccinated against diseases preventable by immunisation.

Herd immunity means enough people are vaccinated to stop a disease from spreading, even to those who can’t be

Measles Cases in Scotland

By Rabia

vaccinated themselves, like babies or people with weakened immune systems. When herd immunity breaks down – even slightly – contagious diseases like measles can quickly return.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) reports that as of March 2025, while uptake of childhood vaccines by 12 months of age remains robust, a gradual decline is evident over recent years. For example, first-dose MMR coverage by 24 months was 92.4 percent, with second-dose uptake by age 5 at 90 percent; these figures are slightly below the World Health Organisation’s 95 percent target.

At a national level, Scotland is close – but not quite there. In some communities, uptake is far below target.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOVANHILL?

Govanhill is one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Scotland, and reflects many of the challenges – and strengths – of multicultural public health work. But some of the communities in Govanhill experience lower vaccine uptake due to language barriers, health system access, and broader social inequalities.

Data from Public Health Scotland shows wide variation in vaccine uptake between ethnic groups. The chart on the right shows the MMR first-dose uptake rates by 12 months of age in 2024–2025:

Many of these groups are part of Govanhill’s local population – and the gaps in coverage reflect wider challenges in public health access and trust.

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE NOT GETTING VACCINATED?

Research shows that vaccine hesitancy and low uptake are rarely about a simple refusal. The Covid-19 pandemic also appears to have profoundly influenced public health behaviours, including attitudes toward routine immunisations.

One of the consistently lowest uptake rates across all ages for childhood immunisations is the Polish community – the largest white minority ethnic group in Scotland, making up 1.7 percent of the population according to the 2022 census.

A University of Glasgow-led study on vaccine attitudes in Scotland’s Polish community to the Covid-19 vaccine found that over a third reported hesitancy or refusal due to a range of barriers including mistrust in healthcare systems, fears over vaccine safety, lack of GP registration, language barriers, misinformation, and employment insecurity all contributed to lower uptake.

These same issues play out in different marginalised communities that make up Govanhill’s diverse population. For a disease like measles there can also be a factor where people have moved here as an adult from countries without

such comprehensive vaccination programmes, and may not know it’s available.

Tackling hesitancy in these groups through culturally and linguistically tailored public health interventions is crucial for improving immunisation rates and public health outcomes more broadly. The Glasgow health board told us how they are working with community organisations in the area to try and reach different communities.

WHAT’S THE PICTURE INTERNATIONALLY?

This crisis is of particular concern when travelling internationally. Globally, there were 107,500 deaths caused by measles in 2023 – mostly in children under five. In the USA, a major public health crisis is unfolding with 760 cases this year in Texas alone.

In 2024, a total of 35,212 measles cases were reported across the EU/EEA – ten times the amount of the previous year. Countries with the highest reported measles rates during this period were Romania (631.9 cases per million), Austria (59.5), Belgium (45.2), Ireland (39.7), and Cyprus (29.3).

WHAT IS BEING DONE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD?

The MMR vaccine protects against measles with the first dose offered to children between 12-13 months, and the second at the age of three years. If it’s missed at these times, it can be given at any age.

Public Health Scotland is collaborating with local health boards to implement targeted outreach programs, including mobile clinics and multilingual educational campaigns. These initiatives aim to improve access and rebuild trust within communities. These efforts are especially focused in areas like Govanhill, where population diversity and health inequalities intersect.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you’re unsure about your or your child’s vaccination status, check with your GP or Health Visitor. If you’ve missed a dose – even years ago – it’s not too late. You can still catch up. Vaccines are free and available to all, regardless of immigration status or GP registration.

For children aged between one and six, there is an ongoing pre-school drop-in clinic every Tuesday at: Govanhill Clinic, Sandyford Building Calder Street. Clinic times are 9-10:45am, 11:20-1:05pm and 2-3:30pm.

For adults there is an on-going clinic every Tuesday evening from 5-7:30pm in Govanhill Health Centre, also on Calder Street until 23 September. There are also drop-ins there on Saturday 23 August and 20 September.

Before travelling abroad, it’s especially important to make sure you’re protected. Measles cases are on the rise again across Europe, and travellers can bring it home unknowingly.

Measles is a notifiable disease under the Public Health Scotland (2008) Act. All suspected cases of measles should be notified to the local health protection team as soon as measles is suspected. Infected people will already have been infectious for a few days before the onset of their rash.

A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT

Helen Benson, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde consultant in public health warns that, while Scotland and Greater Glasgow & Clyde have strong MMR uptake through the childhood vaccination programme, “we cannot be complacent.” Govanhill, she says, “is one of the areas where uptake is lower, although case numbers are low, there is a risk of community spread, especially with increased overseas travel during the holiday season.”

The resurgence of measles in Scotland serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of declining vaccination rates. By taking proactive measures we can work together towards reversing the current trend and preventing future outbreaks.

AJUTAȚI LA PREVENIREA RĂSPÂNDIRII RUJEOLEI

Cazurile de Rujeolă în Scoția au crescut. Pentru a preveni răspândirea acestei boli, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde încurajează orice persoană care nu a fost vaccinată cu ROR să facă acest lucru.

Pentru copiii cu vârsta cuprinsă între 12 luni și șase ani, există și o clinică preșcolară deschisă în fiecare Marți. la: Clinica Govanhill Sandyford Building, Calder Street, G42 7PE. Orele de consultație sunt 9-10.45, 11.20-13.05 și 14.00-15.30.

POMÔŽTE ZABRÁNIŤ ŠÍRENIU OSÝPOK

Prípady osýpok v Škótsku narastajú. Aby sa zabránilo šíreniu tohto ochorenia, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde vyzýva každého, kto neabsolvoval očkovanie MMR, aby tak urobil.

Pre deti vo veku od 12 mesiacov do šiestich rokov prebieha aj pravidelná predškolská očkovacia klinika bez objednania každý utorok v: Govanhill Clinic Sandyford Building, Calder Street, G42 7PE Otváracie hodiny kliniky sú od 9-10:45, od 11:20-13:05 a od 14:00-15:30.

Further information can be found at: nhsinform.scot/campaigns/mmragainst-measles

ROMANIAN

SLOVAK

Young disabled people still losing support, despite benefit reform

Scotland’s new disability benefits system has improved support for many young people – but data shows some are still losing vital help as they enter adulthood

By Kieran Coles

In 2022, Scotland introduced a new disability benefits system with a promise to be fairer, more supportive and focused on dignity. This replaced the much maligned Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which is still used across the rest of the UK. The aim of these benefits is to cover the extra living costs associated with having a disability.

But new data shows that for many young disabled people in Glasgow, the system is still letting them down.

Between March 2022 and July 2024, 14.5 percent of disabled young people in Scotland who transitioned from the new Child Disability Payment (CDP) to Adult Disability Payment (ADP) were denied support – despite previously qualifying for assistance as children.

For 16-year-olds, the rejection rate was 16.7 percent; for 17-year-olds, 14.8 percent; and for 18-year-olds, 12.2 percent. But by 19, the denial rate jumped to 30.8 percent, showing that even under the new system, many lose support as they age into adulthood.

And while that’s a significant improvement on the old UK system – where rejection rates in Glasgow were around 37 percent – it still means that hundreds of teenagers, many with lifelong or progressive conditions, are being cut off from financial support at a critical stage of life.

One core difference with the new system is the age at which you can receive the different child disability benefits. The new Scottish system extends CDP eligibility up to 18, allowing two extra years for children to claim their adult benefit, which gives more time for applicants to move from the child to the adult system.

They are also assessed differently – ADP has a more person-centred approach, with fewer in-person and phone assessments, instead relying application pack and medical evidence, whereas PIP has mandatory assessments that are often carried out by private companies.

Speaking about these changes, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said:

“When we introduced Child and Adult Disability Payments we listened to children and young people about their needs. That resulted in changes such as CDP extending to age 18 and allowing young people to apply for ADP at any time from age 16 onwards, giving them the flexibility to make the transition when it is right for them.

“We offer help with their application and Social Security Scotland staff can also help to collect information that will help with their application, for example from doctors and care workers.

“This approach is helping make the process of moving from child to adult disability payments in Scotland as simple and supportive as possible. We award ADP to the vast majority of young people who previously received CDP.”

The impact of these differences on general outcomes for claimants can be assessed by comparing data from the new Scottish system to PIP.

In Scotland, from 21 March 2022 to 31 July 2024, 14.5 percent of all claims for ADP, made by existing CDP claimants, were rejected by Social Security Scotland. In the rest of Britain, 19.1 percent of total claims were rejected.

Although national figures show progress, Glasgow remains one of the hardest-hit areas. DWP data from before the Scottish benefits reform showed that Glasgow had one of the highest rejection rates in Scotland for young people transitioning from DLA to PIP.

From April 2013 to March 2022, 19,804 initial claims for PIP from former child DLA recipients in Scotland were decided. Of those: 12,930 (65 percent) were allowed, 6,664 (34 percent) were disallowed, and 4,855 claims were disallowed due to failed assessments – representing 25 percent of all claims and 73 percent of all disallowed claims.

These failed assessments were often due to poor access to medical evidence, misunderstanding of conditions, or difficulty attending appointments. Speaking about PIP, Joey Nettleton Burrows, policy and public affairs manager at the

PIP claims from former child DLA recipients in Scotland

12,930 12,930 4,855 6,664 4,855 6,664

National Autistic Society, said: “Our recent survey showed that 97 percent of autistic people responding found the assessment process difficult, while 70 percent said assessors don’t have a sufficient understanding of autism to be able to correctly award entitlements.”

The systems may be improving for many people, but there are still hundreds of young disabled people being left behind – without the necessary aid to manage their disabilities.

Disability Equality Scotland (DES) highlighted the damaging impact of losing out on disability benefits has on disabled people, young and old, in their response to UK Government welfare cuts and the Pathways to Work Green Paper. Their members had a number of concerns, mainly about how difficulty accessing financial support would impact their living standards. One DES member said: ‘Disabled people already are more likely to be in poverty, reducing any benefits will only make this worse.’

For young people this can be especially distressing. At 16 years-of-age, when young people can switch from CDP to ADP, often they are in a very transitional stage of their lives. They’re studying for exams, moving into higher education or working for the first time. Financial support is important security at this stage.

As another DES member said: ‘For people who have chronic pain conditions or conditions that vary from day-today, this will mean that if they don’t qualify for PIP they will have to aggravate their conditions to financially survive.’

Many of the commonly rejected claims are due to conditions that may be managed more successfully by an adult than a child, such as diabetes or asthma. For child-toadult claims, asthma has a rejection rate of 59.8 percent, inflammatory bowel disease 62.4 percent, and diabetes 88.3 percent – despite the fact that these conditions are not necessarily easier to manage in adulthood. And there are also many who are denied support who are living with lifechanging conditions including cancer, blindness, psychosis, deafness and epilepsy.

A young woman with epilepsy had her claim rejected due to her having been seizure-free for a matter of weeks. Despite her need for constant supervision and the fact that this condition prevents her from working, due to its unpredictable nature. Even if she were able to work, many are being denied simply because they can attend education or part-time work, ignoring the additional financial impact that disabilities still have on working households.

Rejection rates for common conditions

A spokeswoman from the Epilepsy Society said: “Epilepsy doesn’t necessarily become easier to manage in adulthood. It is a dynamic condition which comes with many challenges. While many people can take medication to manage their seizures this does not guarantee that they will not have breakthrough seizures. Tiredness, stress, shortages of medication or changes in lifestyle can trigger seizures.”

We visited The Well Multicultural Resource Centre in Govanhill, and spoke to Rhoda, who told us she hasn’t dealt with many younger people switching from CDP to ADP, but has noticed other gaps in the disability payments process: “I’ve dealt with several people this year who’ve experienced problems moving from PIP to ADP, mainly adults, who’ve been told their PIP status will be removed and reinstated as ADP, but then never get a letter telling them it’s been reinstated.” Worryingly, a lot of the clients Rhoda has dealt with only find out their payments haven’t been reinstated when their bus pass or travel card isn’t renewed, due to providers not receiving the review pack alerting them to the change in status.

Whilst the new Scottish system has shown some improvement in the rates of failed and denied claims, it is clear that there is still more that can be done to ensure that young people do not go into adulthood without the crucial support they need. The Scottish Government should continue to listen to the needs of disabled young people and close the gap for hundreds of teens still denied their benefits. The rest of the UK could take the lessons learned from the new system to improve outcomes for all disabled people.

The impact of fires in the Southside and what could be done about them

Govanhill and Pollokshields see some of the highest fire rates in Glasgow and the recent tenement collapse shows the devastating impact they can have. Natalia Equihua looks at what’s behind the numbers – and what’s being done to prevent them.

2783

Number of fires reported in whole of G41 and G42 over ten years

SBy Natalia

974

Number of fires reported in Govanhill and Pollokshields over ten years

hortly after midnight on 12 July, actor Tom Urie was returning to his home in Pollokshields. In a video he posted online later that night, he said: “I was looking at the building on the corner – which has been lying derelict for five years since there was a fire – thinking it's about time they demolished that. And then I started hearing really weird noises, like crackling noises, like it was raining really heavily. I looked up and the building was looking weird, so I ran across the street as it collapsed, managed to get my phone out, turned round and the building's gone.”

The devastating collapse of this Category B listed sandstone tenement at the corner of Kenmure Street and Albert Drive comes after a five-year ordeal. In April 2020, an accidental fire – caused by a contractor working on the gutters – forced the permanent evacuation of the building. What followed exposed major systemic weaknesses.

The tenement was self-factored, meaning there was no formal property management structure in place to ensure adequate building-wide insurance. While some owners were properly insured, others discovered – too late – that they were either uninsured or underinsured. This meant that claims had to be pursued individually, and insurers were not obligated to coordinate or contribute to a unified rebuild effort required to restore a tenement.

Initial repair estimates of £1.5 million escalated to £4 million due to inflation in construction costs, listed building requirements, and pandemic supply chain issues. This high cost, now well beyond what individual owners could cover, halted restoration efforts. In the years that followed, owners, elected officials, and housing associations worked to find a solution, but challenges around ownership coordination, planning regulations, and funding stalled progress.

By 2023, structural engineers had warned the building was verging on unsalvageable. Demolition was advised, and its estimated £500,000 cost would fall on the owners. Then, in mid-2024, a housing association agreed to take on the site for future redevelopment as social housing. The owners approved the plan and legal steps to transfer ownership began at the end of June 2025. But before it could be finalised, the building collapsed – triggering emergency works, evacuation of surrounding neighbours, and additional costs that once again fell to the owners.

Shortly after the collapse, one of the owners, Pete Macdonald wrote: “My heart goes out to everyone who has been displaced by the collapse. This was the last thing anyone involved wanted to happen. There has been a will from everyone, be it ourselves, elected members and those

Equihua and Rhiannon J Davies

Photos by John Bowden

working in the buildings department at the council, to work together to try to find a way to avoid this happening. This has not happened because of a lack of will or of inaction.”

The heartbreaking situation underscores the need for reform in tenement law, especially around mandatory insurance and ownership coordination, and highlights the emotional and financial toll such disasters can take on communities.

But just how common are fires in this area? And what causes them? We dug into the data to find out how Govanhill and Pollokshields have been affected by fires over the past ten years.

According to the most recent data released from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, in the last ten years (up to March 2024) Glasgow recorded a total of 41,666 fires. Out of these, close to 7 percent happened within the G41 and G42 postcode areas.

When comparing the number of fires in the seventeen neighbourhoods covered by these postcodes, Govanhill and Pollokshields appeared among the top five most affected. Together they make up 35 percent of all fires in the G41 and G42 postcodes.

Although this might seem alarming, the numbers are actually encouraging – fire incidents in Govanhill and Pollokshields have been going down since 2017. In fact, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has recorded around 120 incidents annually – the equivalent to having eight fires per month in these neighbourhoods. This can include anything from smaller incidents in bins and contained spaces to more impactful ones that have resulted in the loss of entire businesses or homes.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, November is the month with the highest number of fires in the area – around 14 incidents each year in this month. This is a month with a lot of firework activity, especially on the lead up to –and during – Guy Fawkes Night. With more fireworks on the streets come more deliberate fires, which very often target refuse and rubbish.

In Govanhill and Pollokshields, refuse fires are the most common type. This can include things like setting a bin on fire as well as burning rubbish or fly-tipped objects, like furniture abandoned on the street.

Most refuse fires in the area tend to be deliberate, but not all of them are necessarily malicious. For example, in the summertime, bins in parks can catch fire due to BBQ sets being disposed of in the wrong way. Yet refuse fires are a higher

risk in areas where there is poor waste management – something that continues to be an issue in the area.

The next most common type of incident are dwelling fires, with an average of 30 fires per year. In the majority of cases, they tend to be accidental. In recent years, there have been flat fires reported on Annette Street, Allison Street, Victoria Road and others.

These can also be caused by mismanagement with risks exacerbated by substandard conditions and overcrowding. In 2017, a serious fire at a Glenapp Street flat, which led to the hospitalisation of two people, resulted in a probe into the landlord’s wider property portfolio. Inspections uncovered dangerously bypassed gas and electricity meters, along with missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in flats on Prince Edward, Garturk, and Hickman Streets. In this instance, the

failure to meet basic safety standards meant the landlord was struck off the register, but of course many rogue landlords continue to operate in the area.

Although common, refuse and dwelling fires have been dropping every year since before the pandemic, with less than 40 reported annually.

On the other hand, despite a couple of recent fires in food-related businesses like MiChaii this year and Kebabish back in 2017, these types are actually quite rare in Govanhill and Pollokshields. There is a common view that businesses with a kitchen pose a bigger fire hazard. However, in the last ten years there have only been six fires recorded in cafés, restaurants, bars and other similar premises.

There have been more fires in retail premises which cover a broader range of properties. Another notable fire in Govanhill was when a huge

The site of the tenement collapse

total fires per month in Govanhill and Pollokshields 2014-2023

blaze ripped through a garage on South Annandale Street in 2023, causing giant plumes of dark billowing smoke.

Overall data on fires in the area is encouraging. However, we cannot underestimate the impact that a single fire can have on the community.

In Pollokshields in particular, fires have left a mark and they continue to affect the sense of safety and wellbeing of people living in the area. Besides the tragic tenement fires leaving whole families displaced, there are reports of cars being set on fire and disturbances with fireworks every November. There is a shared sense in the community that this area feels particularly vulnerable to fires.

This year from 1-10 November, as part of wider efforts to address fire-related risks and disturbances, a section of Pollokshields has been designated as a Firework Control Zone meaning it will be a criminal offence for members of the public to ignite fireworks even on private property. It is also illegal to throw or fire fireworks into the zone.

Yet, members of the community are clear that there are more actions that could be taken, not only to prevent fires from happening, but to mitigate the after-effects which can continue to create ripples in the community even years after a fire has been extinguished.

Brian Graham lived across the street from the two big tenement fires that happened in Kenmure Street in 2019 and 2020, and had to be evacuated. This experience changed his sense of safety in the area, prompting him to move away. To him this event pointed to a major issue: “it brought attention to the poor housing conditions in tenement buildings.”

Pollokshields councillor Jon Molyneux, agrees one of the main issues in the area that poses a fire hazard is the lack of maintenance and factoring in tenements. He believes this is something that must be looked at through the law:

“We need to have a fresh look at how tenements can be managed more effectively – things like being legally required to be factored, so that they don’t get to a point where they could become a fire risk.”

Another evacuee from these fires, Natasha Fletcher, feels that kitchens in tenements also need to be looked at: “These are old buildings and many of them have enclosed kitchens with no extractor fans. Someone needs to make sure these kitchens are up to modern standards.”

On this point, Cllr Molyneux thinks that decarbonisation of homes could be a good solution: “More homes moving away from gas appliances and pump heaters could have a big benefit, not just in terms of reducing emissions, but reducing the risk of fires.”

Other measures raised by the community include awareness-raising around the recent law that requires all properties to have interlinked smoke alarms – as well as supporting property owners to sign up to building insurance.

The aftermath of the tenement fires also continue to hurt the community. Fatima Uygun, chair of Pollokshields Community Trust, believes this adds to a feeling of neglect in the area and it is affecting how people in the community interact with the place.

Flat/maisonette: 57

House/bungalow: 23

Tenement: 214

Before the collapse, the local trust had also been pushing the council to improve the boarded fencing around one of the sites so artwork could be installed to improve the look of the area – but the request was refused. For Fatima, this is part of a bigger problem. “It is as if Pollokshields is being abandoned,” she says. “If the council doesn’t look after this place, the people living in it will give up too.”

An anonymous architect has apparently reported Glasgow City Council to Police Scotland, alleging they neglected their legal duty to maintain the derelict, listed tenement. Despite warnings from the architect to issue a dangerous buildings notice – which could have compelled urgent repairs or protective measures – the council did not take formal action, reportedly due to unresolved ownership issues and budget constraints. While safety fencing had been installed, no significant repairs or protective works were undertaken, leaving the building vulnerable to collapse.

When we asked Glasgow City Council about this, they responded by saying:

“These flats had a protective cordon of fencing for some time to protect the passing public following the loss of the roofs on that block. Following the partial collapse of the front wall… the debris fell within that perimeter and demolition began on Saturday 12 July. The council’s ultimate priority in these cases is always public safety…

“At this stage, we don’t know how long those people who were evacuated by the emergency services for their own homes will be out of these properties – but our Building Standards team will be in regular touch with them to provide help and advice on issues linked to the demolition. As always, the aim is to allow people back into their homes once it is safe to do so.”

Pete Macdonald, one of the owners affected by the collapse, highlighted the complexity of dealing with fires in tenement living:

“In Glasgow we all live on top of each other, and there has been an inescapable sense since the fire happened that this could happen to anyone and that our system is not as prepared for this kind of eventuality as it should be. At every turn in our process of trying to sort this out we were confronted with the fact that this was a situation that no-one had clear answers or resolutions to.”

SFRS Station Commander George Winters said: "Cooking is the number one cause of house fires across Scotland… Whether it's food left unattended or people becoming distracted, most house fires begin when food is being prepared. Those who live in flats or high rise buildings should be aware of the dangers of keeping items or rubbish within common close areas, which can lead to an increase in deliberate fire-setting and prevent people from exiting the building safely in the event of a fire.”

MORE THAN A D NATION

The journeys of blood donors and the lives they touch

By Mikael Philips

id you know that each time you give blood, you could help save or improve the lives of up to three people? Every year in Scotland, thousands of people depend on vital blood transfusions and blood-related treatment. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) believes it’s more important than ever to roll up your sleeves and donate.

Giving blood can feel daunting, especially for firsttime donors. You might be unsure what to expect, or simply want more information before visiting a centre. Perhaps you've donated before but haven’t found the time to return. Whatever your situation, those feelings are completely valid.

That’s why we connected with some local Southside residents. We wanted to hear from you –our readers – about who gives blood and why. So, we put out a call and heard back from regular donors, first-timers, and even some who’ve received lifesaving blood donations. Their stories shed light on the donation process and help answer some common questions about what to expect when visiting a donation centre for the first time.

Glasgow Blood Donor Centre

8 Nelson Mandela Place, G2 1BT

How to donate blood and help save lives

If Bethan, Esme, Evan, or Niamh’s stories resonate with you, consider signing up to donate blood in Glasgow today. Senior nurse Pauline Stewart highlights the need: “We know donors are busy, but to meet hospital demand, we must welcome around 470 blood donors every day.”

“Blood stock levels have remained at safe levels thanks to the almost 95,000 active blood donors in Scotland,” she adds, “but SNBTS would like to see that figure hit 105,000.”

Currently, around 55 percent of Scotland’s registered active donors are aged 45 or over. Most donors fall between the ages of 55 and 64, while those aged 17 to 24 remain the lowest active donor age group.

For first-time donors, the full appointment can take up to an hour – to get registered and screened, but the donation itself usually only lasts five to ten minutes. Then of course, there are the post-donation biscuits!

The Glasgow Blood Donor Centre is open seven days a week. To book an appointment, visit scotblood.co.uk, where you can also sign up for text reminders. You can also email nss.snbtsenquiry@nhs.scot or call 0345 90 90 999.

Photo of Niamh by Iain McLellan

Niamh

Niamh Patient

Niamh, a drama teacher and writer from Govanhill now living in Cathcart, enjoys stand-up comedy and baking birthday cakes for friends. Behind her energetic spirit lies a deeply personal connection to a hidden lifeline: regular platelet transfusions.

These are essential for managing side effects of her rheumatoid arthritis treatment, including a dangerously low platelet count – key for helping the blood clot and heal wounds.

“I wouldn’t be able to treat my condition if it wasn’t for the safety net of platelet transfusions,” Niamh shares over a flat white at Jeju Bakes. “It’s so important to my wellbeing.” Before treatment, she says: “I used to get horrendous nosebleeds and bruises all the time.” These debilitating symptoms are now drastically reduced by the transfusions, allowing her to live a much fuller life.

The concept of blood donation has always resonated with her. She used to be a donor herself, but can no longer give due to her condition. Still, the experience has deepened her appreciation: “I’m so grateful to the people who are able to help me… I love the community spirit around something as simple as donating blood.”

Her message to would-be donors is heartfelt: “If you are physically able, please do it. It doesn’t take too long – and you normally get a good biscuit too!” she laughs. “My life has been changed, and lives are saved every day, by the generosity of blood donors.”

Niamh’s story is a poignant reminder that every single donation can be a lifeline – offering hope and healing to someone in need.

Bethan

Regular donor

I met up with Bethan at the Rose Reilly. She just turned 27, and life is currently bustling with new adventures. She’s started a new job in a fresh career path, moved from Langside Road to the West End, and is trying to carve out time for the things she loves –like collecting trinkets, wandering around charity shops, and planning new tattoos. Despite a year full of change, her commitment to blood donation remains a constant priority.

Esme

First-time donor Esme, 26, is a baker who balances a love of good food with staying healthy. She enjoys hanging out with friends and diving into The Sims. We met in a café in Battlefield to talk about her experience.

She’s only donated blood once. Give Blood visited her high school and she missed it when they came, but felt it was important enough to travel into Glasgow and do it herself – and she hopes to donate again soon.

Her journey as a donor began when she turned 17. “It was something I’d been looking forward to,” she shares. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a very strong stance on giving back where I can. So giving blood felt like the right thing to do.”

Giving blood for the first time can be scary, which is why Bethan and her best friend went together to support each other. “Now, whenever I move somewhere new, one of the first things I do is look to see where my nearest donation centre or clinic is.”

The first time Bethan visited a donation centre on her own she was feeling anxious, but a nurse spent time with her to make sure she was okay: “She just talked to me and took my mind off how I was feeling without me even realising it. She made such an impact that I still remember her kindness ten years on.”

“You really do feel good about yourself and what you’ve done,” she says. “For me, that feeling hasn’t gone away – I still feel the same great sense of pride.” She acknowledges the nerves that come with being a first-time donor: “But as soon as you’re in the door, you’ve already done the hardest part. And once the donation starts, you forget why you were ever nervous.”

“It’s an easy thing you can do to make a difference and greatly impact someone else’s life,” she explains. “Just thinking about how this donation could help save lives, makes it worth doing.”

Esme remembers feeling accomplished after donating. She recognises that donating can seem intimidating, but offers reassurance: “It’s much less scary than you think, and it’s over quickly. Plus, free biscuits at the end!”

For her, donating blood “genuinely does save lives, and it’s quick and accessible.” Even one donation can make a difference – and the process is often far easier and more rewarding than expected.

Becoming a regular donor doesn’t happen overnight for everyone, but Esme says her initial experience left a lasting impression and inspired her to prioritise it in the future.

Evan Donor

Evan lives in Mount Florida, and we caught up over the phone.

He’s a chef, film-lover, and proud parent to Befano, his three-legged rescue cat. He first donated blood in high school after a teacher – who had beaten leukaemia – organised a blood drive.

Evan admits he’s often relied on “very effective marketing texts from the NHS” to remind him to donate. Still, he finds the experience consistently positive: “All of the nurses are always so nice. I don’t know how they do it all day!”

While he feels proud of doing his bit, Evan also carries some guilt for not donating more regularly. “It’s the least we can do,” he says. He recently made the decision, alongside his partner, to donate more consistently saying: “It’s easier with a friend!”

W h at ’ s O n

Govanhill International Festival & Carnival 2025

For more information and tickets for all of these events, check out govanhillbaths.com/festival

Govanhill Stories: A Photobooth of Voices

When: Sunday 3 August, 2-5pm, drop-in

Where: The Community Newsroom, 82 Bowman Street

Our makeshift photobooth invites residents to sit for a portrait and share a story – whether that’s a memory, a message, a joke or a piece of advice.

Glasgow’s Anti-Racist History 1930s to Today:

From fighting the British Union of Fascists to Kenmure Street

When: Tuesday 5 August, 7-8:30pm

Where: Queen’s Park Govanhill Church, 170 Queen’s Dr. Glasgow has a long history of standing shoulder to shoulder. As the far right gathers force once again this event looks back, not to romanticise the past, but to draw lessons from it.

Hugh Reed and The Velvet Underpants

When: Tuesday 5 August, doors open 7pm

Where: McNeill’s, 106 Torrisdale Street

This much-loved cult Glasgow band have previously toured with The Fall, Half Man Half Biscuit, Mogwai, Simple Minds and Belle & Sebastian. Check them out ahead of their new album release later this year.

Donny Gluckstein: The Radical Jewish Tradition Revolutionaries, Resistance Fighters and Firebrands

When: Wednesday 6 August, from 6pm

Where: The Rum Shack, 657-659 Pollokshaws Road

Radical historian, Dr Donny Gluckstein will be joined by Jade Eckhaus, co-chair of Stop the War Scotland, to uncover a hidden history of Jewish anti-zionism and resistance.

Equal Pay: Glasgow’s Women on Strike project launch

When: Thursday 7 August, 7-9pm

Where: Queen’s Park Govanhill Church, 170 Queen’s Dr. Join Govanhill Baths Community Trust for a panel discussion to celebrate the launch of their Equal Pay project. Guests include women who took part in the strike and shaped history.

Govanhill’s Got Talent!

When: Friday 8 August, 6-8:30pm

Where: Roma Cultural Centre, 43 Nithsdale Street

This event brings together performers from across the neighbourhood for an evening of music, dance, spoken word and performances from the local talent that makes Govanhill so vibrant.

Launch Event – Nicola Sturgeon in Conversation

When: Friday 8 August, from 6pm

Where: Queen's Park Govanhill Church, 170 Queen’s Dr. Ahead of the release of her memoir Frankly, Nicola

For more regular events and groups, or to share an event, visit: greatergovanhill.com/noticeboard

Sturgeon joins Govanhill Book Festival Director Jim Monaghan to discuss her life, politics, and passion for books.

Queer Theory

When: Sunday 8 August, 7:30pm-1am

Where: The Rum Shack, 657-659 Pollokshaws Road

Queer Theory Cabaret returns, showcasing the subversive and experimental with another ‘salacious selection’ of live music, spoken word, performance art, comedy and drag.

The Thread That Binds Us to Palestine: Antisweatshop Activists Against Apartheid

When: Saturday 9 August, from 12-1:30pm

Where: The Textiles Studio at The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale Street

Learn about the history of Palestine’s textile industry and how the global garment industry is complicit in the genocide as organisers trace lines of solidarity across borders.

Ghost Signs of Glasgow Southside Tour

When: Saturday 9 August, 7-9pm

Where: Meeting point at The Deep End, 21Nithsdale St.

A specially curated Southside Ghost Signs walking tour – part of an ongoing project tracking, researching and archiving Glasgow’s fast disappearing painted signs.

Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine

When: Saturday 9 August, from 7pm

Where: The Glad Cafe, 1006a Pollokshaws Road

A mini-festival of Palestinian art celebrating its vital role in the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation. Poetry from Mohamed Moussa of Gaza Poets Society, spoken word from leading queer Palestinian voice Randa Jarrar and underground music from DJ Bruno Cruz.

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

When: Saturday 9 August, 3-5pm

Where: MILK, 378 Cathcart Road

This traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony invites residents to experience a cultural practice that ‘centres care , hospitality and togetherness. Email hellomilkglasgow@gmail.com for more information.

Archiving Our Anti-Racism Activism

When: Saturday 9 August, 2:30-5:30pm

Where: Glasgow Zine Library, 32-34 Albert Road

Join artist and activist Hussein Mitha at GZL to create a ‘powerful community zine’ made to celebrate anti-racism in Govanhill, past and present. No age restrictions, limited spaces.

Street Music Festival

When: Sunday 10 August, full day of music and events

Where: Victoria Road (Transylvania Shop and South Seeds), Pollokshaws Road (The Cooperage), Westmoreland Street (Westmoreland Park) and Bowman Street at the Community Newsroom – which for one day only will be transformed into the ‘Community Movesroom.’

Celebrate the rich and diverse musical heritage, talent and skill of top musicians and performers as they take to the streets to fill Govanhill with music. Hosted by Love Music Hate Racism.

AU G U S T

Stories From Our Streets

When: ongoing

Where: Community Canvas, upstairs at Tramway

Our living heritage exhibition celebrates the everyday life of Govanhill through photography, video, and an interactive map. At its core is One Day in Govanhill, a moving portrait of the neighbourhood captured by 17 local photographers using analogue cameras across a single day.

Southside Markets

When: Sunday 10 & 24 August, during opening hours

Where: Church on the Hill, 16 Algie Street, Shawlands Church markets return to the Southside this summer showing off local legends’ skills and their products. Drop in during opening hours, have a look around and maybe even grab a pint.

Folk For Palestine

When: Friday 15 August, from 7:15pm

Where: The Glad Cafe, 1006a Pollokshaws Road

Enjoy some of Scotland’s finest folk musicians and help raise money for Palestine. A raffle will be held and donations are welcome at the door.

More info: Ticketed from £16 via Eventbrite

Paint & Sip

When: Sunday 17 August, from 7pm

Where: The Corona Bar, 1039 Pollokshaws Road

Local craft pottery class in The Corona Pub in Shawlands. Paint and take home with you a piece of pottery, plus enjoy a complimentary glass of fizz from the bar while you’re at it!

More info: Tickets £21. Call 0141 243 2823 to book

Folkloric Fundraiser and Launch

When: Friday 22 August, from 7pm

Where: The Rum Shack, 657-659 Pollokshaws Road

The launch of Folkloric’s first ever issue – a brand new literary magazine for publishing fresh folklore, short stories and artwork – hosted by the editors, writers and illustrators.

More info: Ticketed from £5 via rumshackglasgow.com, 18+ only

GLITCH 41

When: Friday 29 August, from 7pm

Where: The Rum Shack, 657-659 Pollokshaws Road

GLITCH 41 is a night of improvised groove music from some of Glasgow’s finest musicians in the jazz scene and beyond. Including a blend of hip-hop, jazz, grime, jungle and more.

More info: Ticketed from £10 via rumshackglasgow.com

Trans Support Group

When: Tuesday 26 August, 6-9pm

Where: Glasgow Autonomous Space, 9 Holybrook Street

A free support group for trans people in Glasgow’s Southside and beyond. This event is held on the last Tuesday of every month.

More info: Email bookingglasgowautonomousspace@ gmail.com to reserve a space

Heir of the Cursed

When: Saturday 30 August, 7-10:30pm

Where: Mackintosh Queen’s Cross, 870 Garscube Road

Celebrate the life and music of Beldina Odenyo, known as Heir of the Cursed, with a special concert on what would have been her 35th birthday, marking the release of her debut album.

More info: Tickets £15/25 from heirofthecursed.co.uk

Govanhill Community Litter Pick

When: Saturday 30 August 10:30am-1pm

Where: Meet at the Roma Cultural Centre, Nithsdale St

The monthly litter pick returns, this time in collaboration with Romano Lav. It’s a great opportunity to meet your neighbours, enjoy some light refreshments and get stuck in to make the area a better place.

More info: Follow @govanhill_litterpick on Instagram for more

S E P T E M B E R

Madhubani Paintings Exhibition

When: 17 July - 20 September

Where: Glasgow Women’s Library, Bridgeton

For South Asian Heritage Month, Glasgow Women’s Library will be exhibiting their collection of Mahubani paintings – a traditional rural Indian art form, often made by women, capturing legends and mythology of ancient culture.

More info: FREE drop-in during opening hours

Small Acts of Love at The Citizens Theatre

When: 9 September – 4 October

Where: The Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Gorbals The first show to grace the Citizens stage since its refurb, Small Acts of Love is based on the true story of a community’s kindness and resilience following the Lockerbie bombing.

More info: Tickets from £13.50 on citz.co.uk

Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2025: The Visionary City

When: 18-21 September

Public buildings, open trails and other events will be hosted by various organisations and groups. Festival organisers are asking participants the question – what type of city will Glasgow be in the future?

More info: See glasgowdoorsopendays.org.uk for events

Penny Chivas – Where We Choose To Stand

When: 19-20 September, times vary

Where: Tramway, 25 Albert Drive

A‘powerful new dance theatre show inspired by climate activism and political change.’ WIth a blend of movement, music, real stories and moments of audience connection, it invites us to reflect on the choices we make and what it means to stand together today.

More info: Ticketed from from £10 via tramway.org

The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl

When: Friday 29 August, 6:45pm & Saturday 30 August, 2pm

Where: Tramway, 25 Albert Drive

Two outsiders become fantastical aerial performers in this touching, high-flying tale of transformation, friendship, and finding where you belong recommended for ages 8–14.

More info: Ticketed via tramway.org

Ando Glaso Roma Fest 2025

When: 12-13 September

Where: BaAD (Barrowlands) and Elim Church (Inglefield Street)

The Ando Glaso Roma Fest highlights the community’s artistic traditions and promotes inclusion. This year there will be a youth festival, short film competition, cultural symposium and more.

More info: Visit andoglaso.org for more info

GOVANHILL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL & CARNIVAL QUIZ

By Marzanna Antoniak

This year’s GIFC is packed with events for all tastes hosted by a range of groups and organisations. This quiz will test your knowledge of the festival programme and some of the local initiatives involved.

1. Which GIFC event is based on a popular TV show?

a. The Great Govanhill Bake Off

a. Strictly Come Prancing

a. Govanhill’s Got Talent!

a. The Noise

2. Local MSP and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s first book, discussed at the Govanhill Book Festival, is titled:

a. ‘My life as PM’

b. ‘Bluntly’

c. ‘Frankly’

d. ‘Franklin’

3. What is the name of a well-known local choir?

a. The Govanhill Choir

b. Govanhill Voices

c. Govanhill Go!

d. Govanhill Sing!

4. A dance community that hosts events locally where you can move in a safe space with no judgement is called “Groove is in the …”.

a. Kelvin

b. Light

c. Park

d. Dark

5. The Men’s Shed at The Deep End is a place where men work with:

a. Wood

b. Glass

c. Gold

d. Steel

6. What kind of ghosts can you spot on one of the walking tours at GIFC?

a. Halloween ghosts

b. The ghosts of Christmas

c. Ghost signs

d. Mummies

Answers: 1-c, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-a, 6-c

OUT AND ABOUT

By Lucy Gillie, South Seeds

IN THE SOUTHSIDE

When the sun’s out and you’re in need of shade, head to Pollok Country Park. It is easy to walk a loop around the park or find inner peace by getting lost in the middle. There are Highland cows and horses to look at plus the Burrell Collection, which has two cafes, toilets and exhibits from around the world. Although Pollok House is temporarily closed, there are a number of benches between the gardens of the house and the river, which are a great stopping point and ideal for a picnic.

IN GLASGOW

Glasgow has some amazing murals which celebrate different aspects of the city and its culture. If you have time to wander, the city centre murals are on a map available on visitglasgow.com and may take you to parts you have yet to visit.

A WEE OVERNIGHT

When you need a break from the city with little notice, campsites are the answer, as they are rarely fully booked. The Southside Tool Library has tents and mats for those yet to invest in their own equipment. If you want to experience freedom, try a cycle-camping adventure and rent the electric bikes and panniers from the tool library as well.

Higher Ground

By Cat Cochrane

She makes me feel teensy when she says more than 1,300 earths can fit into Jupiter as I bend down to pat her thick-necked, skinny-ribbed pittie, Jake

Don’t even know we’re born eh? sees me want to suck words back in through my teeth pronto like

Opening a pouch she refers to as olden vagina, life is death, she smiles, as Jake falls on his back for a belly rub

According to NASA we’ve only mapped five percent of the universe, I pull out from nowhere and somewhere

Licking a Rizla and sealing her rolly, be telling me the moon landings were real next, she says, every last tobacco flake pinched into place

Last of the conspiracy theorists are we, I boldly go where no cunto, bright spark has dared gone before

Banter as good as any found in a town without pity, I dig deep bringing to mind YouTube vids full of surprising facts, yet only cats on TikTok show up

She pinches her rolly between her thumb and forefinger, with all the satisfaction of a Marlboro ad, none of the glamour

We are nothing, she says, the blue bottle will outlast all of us

A wee dog comb among her earthly wares, Jake’s black coat sheens in the blinding reflection of the shop window and in the moment I’m wondering is it him or her who asks haven’t got a light and a pound, have you?

Luss on the west bank of Loch Lomond offers a good campsite, a beach and village to explore, with nearly all the route from Glasgow off-road. Simply pick up the National Cycle Network Route 7 at the SECC and head west to Clydebank and then Balloch.

The blue Route 7 signposts stop here and you have to find a path up the west bank of Loch Lomond – head to Lomond Shores and pick up an off-road route from behind the Bird of Prey Centre. Most of the route follows a back road, apart from a section which takes you on a shared pedestrian path next to the main road. If you want to shorten the cycle from Glasgow, jump on the train to Balloch at Partick by crossing the Clyde on the bridge at Govan.

Luss will keep you busy – you can sauna outside for £10 per person per hour on a weekday, or hire a kayak on the beach for £35 for two people an hour.

by Kirstie Ken English

I’m a social researcher and educator from the Southside. I’ve dabbled in freelance illustration over the years, working to incorporate comics into my research and teaching. Pat is named after another Southsider: my wee gran (who is not a pigeon or queer but still magic regardless).

WANT US TO KEEP DIGGING? SUPPORT US IF YOU CAN

At Greater Govanhill, we’re dedicated to bringing hidden narratives to light and amplifying stories which too often go unheard in the mainstream media. That’s why we ran our Digging Into Data journalism workshops earlier this year.

But running workshops and producing a free magazine comes at a cost. As a community-driven, non-profit organisation, we rely on your support to uncover the stories that matter.

If you enjoy the magazine and also believe media should be created by, with and for local people – consider supporting us. Your contribution will help us dig deeper.

Become a member by visiting community.greatergovanhill.com/join or

To keep up with us even more regularly, follow us on social

If you run a local business or community organisation, you can also support the magazine, while reaching new audiences, by taking out an advert. Email advertising@greatergovanhill.com

Greater Govanhill Issue 19: Digging Into Data

INTO DATA

Letter from the Team

Featured Contributors

Natalia Equihua

We’re here to help

The Community Newsroom

news in brief

Greater Govanhill’s double win for refugee reporting at Refugee Festival Media Awards

Fear A-listed Langside Hall could be a fire risk

Tenement in Pollokshields collapses

news in brief

New Openings

CONTRA

SPUDS BY MELTDOWN 32-38 Dixon Ave

"The colours she cannot see, I feel"

roma news and views

like my grandmother used to make

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

Method

Tips

My Life Before Govanhill

NOEMI RAITH

Style Icon

Jen Dawson

stories from our streets

CALDER Street

Etymology and origins

Notable buildings, people and events

Your Memories of CALDER Street

MICHAEL RODGERS HAIRDRESSING Behind the Chair

Cows South Side of the

Earn Water

Flenders Road

Thorntonhall

Survey finds need for more inclusive football environments

Queer spaces offer safety – and joy

Early exclusion has lasting impacts

Football without hostility

Building community

Inclusive football teams in and around the Southside

Bakeries, bike lanes and boarded up shops Bakeries, and up shops

Bakeries, bike lanes and boarded up shops

Examining the evolution of Vicky Road

A street with deep roots

Types of shop on Victoria Road

GOVANHILL GAME OF LIFE

START

FROM HOMES TO ASSETS

How did we get into this mess?

FROM RENT STRIKES TO RIGHT TO BUY: A CENTURY OF SHIFTING CONTROL

Glasgow Housing Timeline

THE GLASGOW SOCIAL HOUSING SELL-OFF AND ITS LEGACY

HOUSING AS INVESTMENT: THE COMMODIFICATION OF OUR HOMES

STREET-LEVEL PROFITS ON ALLISON STREET

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

SCOTLAND SEES RISE IN MEASLES CASES

Why it’s back and

what we can do about it

Measles Cases in Scotland

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GOVANHILL?

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE NOT GETTING VACCINATED?

WHAT’S THE PICTURE INTERNATIONALLY?

WHAT IS BEING DONE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD?

A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT

AJUTAȚI LA PREVENIREA RĂSPÂNDIRII RUJEOLEI

Young disabled people still losing support, despite benefit reform

The impact of fires in the Southside and what could be done about them

MORE THAN A D NATION

The journeys of blood donors and the lives they touch

How to donate blood and help save lives

Niamh Patient

Bethan

Esme

Evan Donor

Govanhill International Festival & Carnival 2025

AU G U S T

S E P T E M B E R

GOVANHILL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL & CARNIVAL QUIZ