In the Autumn edition, we dive into Tilly in focus with a sneak peak of what’s in offer in the podcast and find out what other exciting things have been going on in Tilly recently!
If you would like to get involved and join the editorial team or if you have ideas for the community publication, you can easily get in touch with us. The staff at shmu are able to support and train anyone living in the area who are interested in developing their ideas and skills in either writing, photography or proof reading. So please don’t be shy, this is your magazine written, edited and designed by the good folk of Tillydrone.
If you live in the Tillydrone area and would like to come along to the editorial meetings or submit an article, then get in touch with Rose at shmu on 07752586312 or you can email her on rose.ross@shmu.org.uk.
You can also view this magazine alongside previous editions on the shmu website www.shmu.org.uk then click the ‘PRESS’ option.
Our dates for the next edition have not been set yet but keep an eye out on the Tilly Tattle Facebook page for more information coming very soon!
Tilly Tattle is a community publication and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the editorial team or of shmu.
Wallace Tower Doors Open Day an Outstanding Success
Tillydrone Community Development Trust opened the doors of the Wallace Tower to the public for the 2025 Aberdeen Doors Open Day for the first time on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September 2025.
Trust Chair Colin McFadyen hailed the Trust’s initiative to open the doors of the Tower as “an outstanding success which showed the progress the Trust has made in restoring the building and adding a café extension”.
Work on the external fabric of the building, the ground floor and extension has been largely completed and the Trust hopes that these works will be finished shortly to allow the café to open.
Trustee Linda Barclay added “we are entering into an agreement with an experienced caterer to operate the café on behalf of the Trust and we are all keen to open as soon as we can”. Linda went on to say “we were delighted to see so many people from both Tillydrone and the City and indeed from visitors to Aberdeen. Over 800 people joined us over the two days and many of them were eager to visit the café as soon as it opens.”
Trust Treasurer Susan Thoms praised the Tillydrone Community for its efforts to support the Trust. “We have raised £700,000 which has been spent to fund the work to date, and we are very grateful to the funders and members of the public who have helped us get to this stage. We have a lot more work to do as we still need to refurbish the first and second floors of the Tower, with around £80,000 required to complete the building. Anyone wanting to help us get the Wallace Tower fully open, with spaces for the community to use, can make donations to our Crowdfunder at www.crowdfunder. co.uk/p/tillydrone-community-development-trust-sciosc050475.”
Over the weekend visitors shared stories of relatives who had lived in the building when it was a lodging house in it’s original location in the centre of town. One visitor’s father was actually born in the attic, where a family of six lived, and kept chickens in the very top of the round tower.
The Trust would like to thank all those who visited the Wallace Tower and the volunteers who planned, managed and helped to make the weekend so successful. They look forward to welcoming many more visitors soon, so keep an eye on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/TillydroneCommunityDevelopmentTrust for more information!
ABERDEEN COMMUNITY ENERGY
Aberdeen Community Energy is almost 9 years old now – our Hydroversary is approaching, and we started producing electricity on 21st September 2016.
This scheme, down next to the river, beside Donside Village, is entirely run and managed by volunteers, who give their time because they believe passionately in what we are doing - creating clean, green renewable energy, at no ‘cost’ to the planet and in total harmony with the river.
We are a multi award winning hydro scheme, who grew out of Donside Village Community SCIO, and we started out hydro journey in 2014, with a couple of years of planning and getting things in place prior to the big build in June 2016.
In the past 9 years we have produced over 3.4 million kWh of renewable electricity, planted over 3,000 trees and shrubs (hydro hill is looking magnificent), removed tons
of tree trunks, branches, leaves, grass and assorted ‘objects’ (plastic buckets, traffic cones, shopping trolleys, bikes, balls, plastic bottles and general ‘debris’) from the lade, to keep the otter screen clean. This is essential as any blockages in front of the otter screen stop the flow of water over the screw and prevent us producing as much electricity as we can. It’s all hands-on deck at times to clear it all out!
We have collected loads of litter from the surrounding riverside, undertaken a huge amount of ‘land management’ including keeping the river path clear, cutting back foliage, and general maintenance in and around the area.
We have given umpteen tours and seminars to universities (including international students), colleges, schools, politicians, walking groups, local community groups and really just anyone who approaches us to find out more!
On Sunday 7th September, over a two-hour event, we were delighted to be able to give tours to over 150 folk from Aberdeen, as part of ‘Doors Open’ 2025 (our first Doors Open tour was in 2017 – we were on the cover of the brochure!). It is always a pleasure to be able to do this, and we were especially glad to see many locals visiting our hydro scheme.
You may have noticed in recent months that the Archimedes screw is not turning. Please don’t be concerned, the screw is not broken. This stoppage is due to the very low water levels and lack of rain. We can only produce electricity when there is sufficient water, so it is common in the summer to be ‘off’ but this summer has been especially dry! We are all doing rain dances and hopeful for a good winter season, as October to March is when we tend to produce the most electricity. Fingers crossed we have lots of rain!
Our ‘Community Fund’ is growing, from annual profits from the hydro (whenever there is indeed a profit) –a percentage goes into the fund, from sales of our delicious honey, and from delivering paid seminars and hydro tours for universities and fee paying schools.
We are currently looking at how to spend this, in line with what people said they wanted to see down by the river during the community consultation we carried out when we were buying the land through the Scottish Land Fund. Hopefully, within the next few months you will start to see the addition of seating areas around the hydro site, and along the riverside next to Donside Village.
We are always looking for volunteers, so if you want to get involved, please email us on acenergy2016@gmail. com
Extra hands, especially following floods and doing the ‘big clean up’
which follows these events, are always welcome.
We are currently also looking for financial support, so if anyone is reading this and has skills in financial management and wants to help out and join our team of volunteers, please get in touch and find out more, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Keep an eye on our face book page for updates and information, https://www.facebook.com/ ACEnergy2016
Have a look at our YouTube page for some videos and a ‘virtual tour’ of the scheme, which we made during the pandemic, so people could still see round, even though restrictions were in place.
There is even a ‘time lapse’ video of the hydro being built, so you can watch it going up!
Asthe BER months arrive (September, October, November, December) the dark nights are also drawing in, here at Tillydrone Community Campus SCIO we have some activities for young people after school or at the weekend. I Remember many decades ago, when I was a young person and how it was never fun during the colder months when you don’t want to hang outside as it freezing! And you can’t always take them to your house. So why not come to the Tilly campus and join one of our activities
On Mondays after the October holidays, we’re starting a brand new class for families. The class is open to all primary age young people and
their parents / guardians. Come along and join Kelly for a 45-minute family dance class from 3:30pm to 4:15 PM!
On a Tuesday 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM we have a Mandarin class for 5 to 8 year olds where the group learns Mandarin through games songs and fun activities. We have a chill out club P6 P7 and S1 From 3:30 till 5:30. At chill out club it’s a space where you and friends and come along have a snack have a go on our Xbox or ping pong table or just chill and chat. On Thursdays 4:00 PM till 5:45 with Shazam Theatre Company we have drama classes for P4-P7 year olds. And 6:00 PM till 7:30 we have our games club for P6 to S1. During games club we do different activities
games and just have fun. On a Friday 3:30 to 4:30 PM City Moves are here providing dance classes each week. On Saturdays 10:00 AM to 11:15 we have multimedia storytelling P 3 to P5 and 11:30 to 1:00 PM P6 to S1 age range
All our activities are free but need to be booked prior so if you’d like to register your young person for one of our groups then please get in touch at: Tillydronepc@gmail.com
So why not come along with your friends and have a go at our fantastic activities that we have on offer! If you or your young person has any ideas for activities you would like to see at the Tillydrone campus then why not send us an e-mail and we can see what we can do!
Friends of St Machar Park
Following the removal of the skate ramp at St Machar Park, Tillydrone Community Council made enquiries as to what had happened to it, was it going to be replaced? We were told that it wasn’t going to be replaced, but that there is money available for the upgrade of the Park.
We then discovered to access that funding we needed to form a group, which we did earlier this year, a subgroup of Tillydrone Community Council, ‘Friends of St Machar Park’.
Aberdeen City Council is keen for the residents to help to look after the park.
We met up with volunteers from Friends of Westfield Park, and Sunnybank. We’ve put out leaflets, spoke to residents, schools, the footballers who use it every Saturday and have basically done all the groundwork to the point where we have applied for funding. The funding would initially be for a Community Engagement Event early next year.
Background
St Machar Park is a large and rare open green space situated directly across from the Zoology Building. It serves a wide range of
users including families, teenagers, students and dog walkers.
There is a clear need and desire for revitalisation and improvements. Feedback from local residents, particularly through Facebook and community discussions has highlighted several key ideas.
Such as:
Reinstall former features, skateramp upgrade
minibike trail- a child track that once existed I’d also fondly remembered and requested again.
Improved sports facilities, including levelling the football pitch and reseeded. footballers could go to Cruyff pitch while this is carried out.
A volunteer has offered to mark it, if equipment was provided.
Basketball facilities
Play & Interactive Equipment
A zip line has been suggested Gondola Swings and somewhere to charge a phone.
More Inclusive Play Equipment
The Community would like to see more interactive and modern
playground features that cater not only to the young, but also offer an element of challenge and fun for older age groups.
Community & Environmental Considerations
The park is a well-used route and play area for dog owners. Improvements should continue to support this use, possibly with additional bins, seating, or dedicated paths.
General upkeep and
Beautification
The overall space would benefit from increased care, improved landscaping and thoughtful layout that respects the natural surroundings while enhancing its usability.
Conclusion
St Machar Park holds a special place in the local community daily life and there is strong support for upgrading the area with thoughtful, inclusive and playful elements. Revitalising the Park with some key features, nothing reinstated and new- would not only improve its appearance and safety but also encourage more active & varied use across all age groups.’
Inepisode one of Tillydrone in Focus, host Angela Milne Daniel finds out about the barriers to accessing food and chats to staff at Tillydrone’s community projects to find out what their doing to tackle this.
Angela found that recent Scottish Government statistics show 16% of the countries population are living in households which face marginal, low or very low food security.
Visiting Tillydrone Community Flat, Development Worker Fiona Young described the service. “We support everyone, people in and out of work, local residents, refugees, people with no recourse to public funds.
“I think most importantly what we have here is a safe space where people can just come and sit all day if they want to really, if they’re lonely, if they need someone to talk to, they’ll always find someone to speak to there and a cup of tea. We support everyone from babies to people in their eighties.”
Tilly flat offers a wraparound approach to helping those in poverty, treating every aspect of the individuals’ lives, not just one. “We look at poverty as a wider issue. If you’re struggling with food poverty, then you’re also going to be struggling with things like period poverty. You’re going to be struggling with Household energy poverty; you’re going to miss out on opportunities.”
Transport is a major concern to community members, an issue that kept popping up.
“Transport can be expensive and what you’ll often find in an area Like Tillydrone is a lack of access to supermarkets. People are paying a premium for their food with less choice. This is called a food desert, along with poverty and poor diet obviously becomes poor health. And that has an impact people’s day to day living as well.”
Today, Tilly only has one bus route coming through the community – the number 19. Just a few years ago,
there were three busses which would stop in the area, providing more options for shopping, now you are limited, unless you’re able to walk to Great Northern Road for more choice.
ALC’s Angie Johnston also recognises this issue. “The bus doesn’t go anywhere near a supermarket. So, people are very much left with the options of shopping at local shops, littler shops that are pricier with a smaller selection.”
Angela spoke to parents who attend ALC with their children and they shared their experiences with this.
One shared “I kind of cut back a bit on fruit and fresh meat. You’ve got to think about getting reduced things or cutting back on cakes, biscuits, stuff like that.”
Another said “I don’t drive so I have to get my shopping delivered. But the thing about shopping online is you can’t look for the reduced stuff or rake for things with longer dates which are going to last you.”
One parent called for more help. “There’s got to be something that we could do to take the cost of food down. It’s an essential need. It’s not, a luxury. We need to buy it. You’ve got to keep kids healthy. You’ve got to feed yourself. That’s the cost of living. Some people are going without their basic needs on a dayto-day basis.”
Services like ALC and Tilly Flat are doing all they can to tackle food and poverty in general.
ALC offer free childcare spaces funded through Aberdeen City Council. They also offer a Breakfast club and support for their youngsters to learn how to cook.
Angie said,” When, when a child misses breakfast, it impacts the rest of their day trying to focus
when you’re hungry. That can just be skipping one meal, not having access or having time to have breakfast in the morning. It can have a huge impact.”
Initiatives like the breakfast club and the cooking initiatives are brilliant and so important. They will hopefully set the children up to have the skills they need in the future to maintain a nutritious diet, but more help is needed.
Local resident Frankie states it perfectly. “The local charities give so, so much support and it’s great, but we need actual government support to stop being poverty stricken.”
Tilly Flat, ALC and the rest of Tillydrone’s Community Organisations are committed to working in partnership to support
residents to meet their needs by listening to what the community needs and wants. You can have your say by getting involved in the Tillydrone Network.
If you’d like to find out more about the services offered by the Tillydrone Community Flat, find them at 3B Alexander Terrace, Aberdeen AB24 2QT, call them on 01224 486641 or find them on Facebook.
Get in touch with ALC by visiting Dill Road, Tillydrone, Aberdeen AB24 2XL, calling 01224 492672 or email hello@alcaberdeen.org
To listen to Episode one and the rest of the podcast series, you can find it on Spotify by searching Tillydrone in Focus or Station House Media Unit.
Tillydrone in Focus Food Poverty Podcasts
Inlate October 2024 whilst I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a post from shmu regarding podcasts which they were wishing to do with people living in the Tillydrone area. I was intrigued and thought this would be interesting.
I didn’t know what to expect when I attended the 1st meeting regarding the podcasts at ALC in November 2024. I was the only person who attended the 1st meeting with Rhona Brudnell from shmu and Angie Johnston manager of ALC.
Rhona spoke to Angie and I about the topic of food poverty for the podcasts which we were both extremely interested in and keen to be involved with.
I’d had no previous experience of interviewing people but when I did my 1st interview , interviewing Angie Johnston, I barely glanced at the questions I had as I got into the flow from the start of the interview.
After I’d interviewed Angie, Rhona and Angie said I was very professional, a natural like I’d been interviewing people for many years.
A few weeks later I suggested to Rhona some people in Tillydrone who I’d spoken to who were willing to be interviewed for the podcasts on food poverty. Rhona and I co-ordinated with two people who work with those who experience food poverty and two people with lived experience of food poverty who agreed to be interviewed.
It was very informative interviewing Fiona Young, Community
Development Worker from the Tillydrone Community Flat as part of this podcast. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with those who experience food poverty representing their views and sharing these peoples’ experiences with decision makers at both local and national level to try to affect positive change.
It was a privilege to interview Allison and Frankie about their lived experience of food poverty. The three of us hope politicians at local and national level will listen to the podcasts and this can affect positive change on the issue of food poverty.
It was a great to interview the Finance Convenor of ACC local councillor for Tillydrone, Seaton and Old Aberdeen Alex McLellan. I was able to ask him specific questions regarding issues which had arisen from the interviews I’d conducted and specific questions those I’d interviewed would like to see addresses by politicians at both local and national level.
It was a privilege and enjoyable to work with the highly professional, very knowledgeable and experienced Rhona Brudnell from shmu. We’d both be keen to work with each other in the future on podcasts for shmu if the opportunities arise.
If you’d like to listen to the podcast, you can find it on spotify by searching Tillydrone In Focus by Station House Media Unit.
Angela Milne Daniel
Tillydrone Community Council
I’d like to let residents know that Tillydrone Community Council has a new chairperson, and new treasurer, we have three new members, including two young mums, as they found that our new time in the morning is better for them.
Our meetings have always been in the evening, so a complete change to previously.
In our meeting in September, we had invited both the Head of Environmental Health and Head Housing Officer from ACC to help answer some questions regarding fly-tipping and weeds.
Alex McLennan the councillor also attended the meeting and maintenance of Tillydrone flats was discussed.
We had a police report for the area and a councillor’s report with regards to maintenance and a new winter resilience group,
‘ Tilly Winter Watch’ It’s been posted up on Facebook, set up by councillor Ross Grant, the Community Council and St George’s Community Centre, so as we don’t get caught out as bad as we did last year.
Our next public meeting is Tuesday 14th October 10am at St George’s Community Centre Hayton Road Tillydrone.
Lynne Digby
Women’s Budget Group
Agroup of Aberdeen women worked with the Scottish Women’s Budget Group to understand the impact of poverty and gender inequality on women and their families in Aberdeen and identifying what changes Aberdeen City Council could make.
Commissioned by Aberdeen City Council’s Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee the group found that caring responsibilities, social security, work, transport, health, housing and the way services are delivered were significant issues for women in Aberdeen that impacted on the choices and options available to them.
Many of the challenges identified highlight interlinked barriers that women face because the different needs of men and women are not recognised within decision making at a local or national level. The group were clear that these barriers need to be addressed by organisations instead of being left to individual women to try to address them. As the following example highlights Women who experience
domestic abuse often lack the finances to leave an abusive partner or seek support.
They do not have the resources to take expensive buses, or the time to spend over an hour to reach services without exposing themselves to increased risk. They might not have access to a phone or computer to be able to use online/ phone-based services and they cannot take the chance of losing any support systems they have by having to move for housing.
The group presented their findings to the Committee in June, and they are expecting a response to the 116 recommendations made in November. We hope that this work leads to changes which mean that in the future we are not having to have the same conversations.
Some findings from the report “Over 50% of those with childcare costs (for all age groups) said they struggled to manage childcare costs while 34% had to make changes to other areas of household spending to be able to afford their childcare costs.”
“39% of all survey respondents said they felt very safe, this reduced for members of the LGBT community to 18% and was higher for men at 54%.”
“75% of pensioners told us they felt worse off financially than this time last year, with 66% using their savings to manage household costs in the last year.”
“30% of survey respondents said they were struggling to manage food costs. This increased to 69% for single parents, 37% for disabled and single person households and 33% for BME households.”
“21% of respondents had skipped meals in the last year and 61% had cut back on food expenditure.”
“12% had used the foodbank to manage costs, while 5% had joined the community pantry. 24% of those using foodbanks and joining community pantries were employed full time.”
Read the Full Scottish Women’s Budget Groups report at www.swbg.org.uk/content/ publications/SWBG-AberdeenReport.pdf
How Can employability Support Help
Kenneth’s
story
In2024 Kenneth was hospitalised for seven weeks following a stroke. Due to his stroke Kenneth was no longer able to drive and became unemployed. Having worked all his life since leaving school in 1979, he was feeling quite lost being unemployed.
Unsure of what to do, what he was entitled to claim or where to find out, Kenneth struggled to find support. “Being unemployed, you’re put down as useless and claiming things you shouldn’t be. You are no use to the community or to anybody, a burden on society, even though you’ve paid in all that time.”
His stroke mainly affected his left side and being left-handed, it left him struggling with a lot of things, especially filling out forms. He said “The form for PIP is about half an inch thick. It’s actually a novel, but luckily, I got occupational health and C-FINE to help me go through it and fill it out.”
Kenneth hadn’t been to the job centre since 1980, it was a shock to see it had totally changed. “The last time I went, you just came in and looked at the cards, but now it’s all on the computer. Not everyone is able to use a computer. It was basically learning how to do everything all over again.
I almost didn’t go in this time because of the fear, the stigma and everything. But once you get over it, it gets a lot easier as time goes by. The work coach I’ve got now is excellent. He’ll sit and listen. He’ll look at my record and it’s almost first-name terms with them. With me having the stroke, I was under a doctor’s line; unfit to work, and Universal Credit said they don’t worry about doctors’ lines. I’ve
been made fit to work so I’ve got to look for work.
If I go even a walk to Iceland from my flat and back, I know for a fact I’ll sit down and fall asleep for about two hours, just because I’m that fatigued. How would an employer or a business feel if that was happening every day?”
When Kenneth sought assistance from Pathways, they couldn’t believe he had been deemed fit to work.
“Pathways and C-FINE were great in support and Pathways are still great in what they do. They’ve been excellent in helping me out. Looking for jobs, putting jobs in my universal diary and that. I use C-FINE in a number of ways: support on filling out forms, chasing up PIP and keeping up to date with what’s available. I normally go down about once a week/ once a fortnight for emergency supplies. I’m grateful that I haven’t actually had to go into a food bank yet, but I’ve signed up for the pantry at community centre.
My life would be easier if there was better support and more information for benefits, make it more clearer. I’d advice anyone to get in touch with your community hub and enquire there or Citizines Advice and even the job centre, or the library, just see what you can get and where you have to go”.
Contact cfine on 01224 596 156 or email info@cfine.org or find them at 2-4 Poynernook Road AB11 5RW.
Pathways can be found at 11 Powis Circle, Aberdeen, AB24 3YX, calling them on 01224 682939 or emailing info@ pathways-online.org
Kairin van Sweeden
Between 1978 to 1983, I walked every day through Old Aberdeen and the University Campus to get from my home in Tedder Street to Linksfield Academy, but in those days I never imagined that the University of Aberdeen was a place that I could attend. I might have seen it almost every day for five years, but culturally, this ancient institution was a world away from me as neither my parents, or indeed any of my wider family were university graduates. Eventually I did graduate, ten years ago, at the tender age of forty-eight, proving that you can indeed teach an old(ish) dog new tricks.
Much more recently, I organised a university visit for community councillors from Tillydrone, Seaton and Powis to the amazing new
Science Building on the corner of St. Machar drive and Bedford Road. The facilities inside are absolutely fantastic, by far surpassing the laboratories that I studied in during my degree. The building also contains small exhibitions that anyone can visit and view when it is open, and its interior has a restful, cathedral-like quality, so for all these reasons the Science Building is well worth a visit.
Moving to the future, in November I have finally managed to bring the University of Aberdeen out to Tillydrone in the form of lecturer Dr Lynn Bennie who will give a talk about politics at the St. George’s Community Centre. This will be followed by ample opportunities for questions from the audience and a
cuppa and a biscuit in the centre’s café afterwards.
Getting Aberdeen academics out into their surrounding communities has been a long-held ambition of mine and if this talk proves popular, I aim to arrange more.
So, if you would like to hear what Dr Bennie has to say about politics then come along on Tuesday 11th November at 7pm at St. G’s. Book a seat by either contacting Lynn Cunningham in person at the St.G’s Community Centre on Hayton Road or phone 01224 036189.
You can also book a seat online via Ticket Source.
KAIRIN VAN SWEEDEN
Councillor for Tillydrone, Seaton and Old Aberdeen
What is politics and why does it matter?
Tuesday November 11th, 7pm, at St.G’s Community Centre on Hayton Road
Lynn Bennie is a lecturer in politics at the University of Aberdeen. She is interested in the difficult relationship between people and politicians and why politics has such a bad reputation, but she firmly believes that politics is important and for everyone. Have you ever found yourself thinking that politics is not for you, that politicians can’t fix society’s problems, or that there’s no point in voting? Or have you ever wondered how you might get involved in politics but didn’t know how? Come along and hear Lynn Bennie give a short talk and then be interviewed by Kairin van Sweeden, councillor for Tillydrone/Seaton/Old Aberdeen. There will be lots of time for questions from the audience and an open conversation about politics in your area and beyond.
Get Ready for Connected Tillydrone
shmu has been working alongside Tillydrone’s fabulous Community Projects to develop a brandnew website for the Community.
Connected Tillydrone is set to be a one stop shop for all things Tilly. You will be able to find all the information you need about your community organisations, keep up to date with all groups and events in the area with the what’s on calendar and find all the latest news and media all on one handy site.
We can’t wait to launch the website to the community so keep an eye out for more details in the coming weeks!
Training Complete!
A huge congratulations to Adele’s latest radio training group who completed their 8-week training course on Monday!
Covering everything from behind-the-scenes tech wizardry, broadcasting guidelines to on-air presentation skills, the group learnt the ropes and are ready to work towards their own individual showswell done team!
Listen out for them hitting the airwaves soon with shows covering everything from local history, social justice to 90s music
If you are interested in Radio Training here at shmuHQ - please get in touch for more information! volunteer@shmu.org.uk
shmuFM’s 18th birthday
Aberdeen’s Award-winning community Radio Station celebrated its 18th birthday on Monday the 20th of October. Since its first broadcast in 2007, shmuFM has been at the heart of community media in the city, giving a platform to local voices, stories, and music that often go unheard. shmu volunteers will took on 18 hours of non stop live broadcast on Monday to mark the occasion, interviewing a range of shmu participants and staff from past and present. Last year shmuFM launched on a new community DAB platform, extending its reach across much of Aberdeen. shmu is now calling on other community broadcasters to join the DAB platform and help strengthen the city’s diverse radio landscape.
Murray Dawson, Founder and Chief Executive of shmu, said:
“Eighteen years ago, shmuFM began with the vision of giving local people a voice on the airwaves. Today, that vision has grown into a thriving community station, driven by volunteers and deeply connected to Aberdeen’s communities. Launching on DAB means even more people across the city can tune in, and we’re excited to welcome other community radio stations to share this platform with us.”
For many, shmuFM has been more than just a station –it’s been a place to learn skills, make friends, and find their voice.”
EPILEPSY IN THE COMMUNITY
Nowadays we see adverts on T.V for research into Heart Disease or maybe even Cancer, which I admit are probably the two biggest health conditions that have taken countless amounts of lives in the past, as well as being very serious health conditions and life threatening and definitely need as much research as they probably deserve and this is all normally charity based so contributions from anyone and everyone are welcomed.
There are, however, certain medical conditions which are not so recognised in our communities. Whether it’s because some people don’t want to admit to them or even are too embarrassed to admit to them.
Some of these conditions can tend to develop a Taboo effect because of this and can go unrecognised by your average member of the public.
Having epilepsy late in life is not the same as if you were just a child.
What I mean is if you’re just a child it can be put down to something as simple as teething, where the body temperature skyrockets, or even puberty, where the body is going through one hundred and one different changes. At these early ages the body can grow out of the condition.
But the older you get before the condition affects you the more chance you will have it all your life.
I’ve been a butcher since I was 17 and had epilepsy since then
too. My seizures seemed to be confined to nighttime back then, so I was able to live a normal life, not worrying about epilepsy affecting my working day. Then I would have the occasional seizure during the day, however, my workmates knew what to do and how to sit me down and get me on the floor and put me into the recovery position once I’d stop convulsing.
Let’s just say I had accepted epilepsy as being part of my life and my medication was partly keeping it under control; I would have a seizure once a month.
But like everything else all good things come to an end. Here I am 40 years on, still doing the same job and I get told due to insurance reasons I can no longer do my job because I’m a hazard to myself as well as others because I work with sharp knives.
I’m now retraining because I know nothing else and am volunteering, which I must admit I am finding enjoyable.
I’m still taking the seizures, but it just shows how this condition can take over your life. How I’ve gone so long accepting the way my life was to now be letting epilepsy try to beat me.
BUT I WON’T LET IT WIN !!!!!!!!
Some things you may not know about epilepsy
Epilepsy like a lot of medical conditions can be fatal.
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP):
This is a leading cause of death in people with epilepsy, where a person dies suddenly and unexpectedly for no known reason, often during or after a seizure.
Status Epilepticus:
This occurs when a seizure lasts too long, or multiple seizures happen in a row without recovery in between. Convulsive status epilepticus is the most dangerous form and can be fatal.
Accidents, Injuries, and Drowning:
Seizures that affect awareness can put a person at risk of accidents, injuries, or drowning.
Other Factors:
In some cases, other serious neurological conditions, like severe cerebral palsy, can lead to complications like aspiration (inhaling food or fluids) and pneumonia, which may contribute to a person’s death, according to an Epilepsy Foundation article.
What to do if you see someone having seizure
First ensure their safety by clearing the area and cushioning their head with a jacket or likes, then loosely loosen any tight clothing around their neck. Stay calm, time the seizure, and do not put anything in their mouth or restrain them.
After the seizure, place them in the recovery position and stay with them, offering reassurance until they are fully recovered. Call for an ambulance if the seizure lasts more than five minutes, if the person is injured, or if they are having difficulty breathing.
Aberdeen City Council Helpline - 0800 0304 713
ALCOHOL
Alcoholics Anonymous - 0800 9177 650
Drinkline - 0300 123 1110
CRIME
Crimestoppers - 0800 555 111
DRUGS
Alcohol and Drugs Action Helpline 01224 594700 or 07927192706
Narcotics Anonymous
0300 999 1212
DENTIST
Emergency - G-Dens - 111
DOCTORS
NHS 24 Emergency - 111
POLICE
Non-Emergency - 101
ELECTRICITY
If you have a power-cut - 105
GAS
Gas Emergency - 0800 111 999
WATER
Scottish Water Emergency - 0800 0778 778
HOUSING
Emergency Repairs - 03000 200 292
Family Planning - 0345 337 9900
Breathing Space - 0800 838 587
Samaritans - Need to talk 01224 574 488 or 116 123
SOCIAL WORK
Adult Protection - 0800 731 5520
Joint Child Protection Team 01224 306877 or 0800 731 5520
Aberdeen Carers Support Service - 01224 914036
Age Scotland - 0800 1244 222
CFINE 01224 596156
Pathways 01224 682 939
0345-337-0510
Community Contacts
Oldmachar Medical Practice
Tillydrone Clinic 01224 276723
Tillydrone Library 01224 489539
Woodside Medical Group 01224 492828
LOCAL COUNCILLORS:
Councillor Alex McLellan 07500 999522
Old Aberdeen Medical Practice 01224 486702
amclellan@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Councillor Kairin Van Sweeden 07977399586
KVSweeden@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Councillor Ross Grant 07738688458 rossgrant@aberdeencity.gov.uk
DOMESTIC ABUSE SUPPORT
Domestic Abuse is not acceptable. It is not your fault and you are not alone.Domestic Abuse is when you are hurt, bullied or frightened by: Your husband or wife. Your boyfriend or girlfriend Your current or ex-partner
Help and support
Financial Advice at CFINE 01224 531386
Their behaviour can be; controlling, physical, sexual, financial or emotional.
There are services available to support you, and they are still open. You do not have to wait for an emergency to get help. Tell someone you trust or contact:
Grampian Women’s Aid
Citizens Advice 01224 586255
National Domestic Abuse Helpline Free and confidential advice. Open to all. 24 hours a day. Telephone: 0800 027 1234. Website: sdafmh.org.uk
