Glasgow highlights freedom issues in Gambia

by Elyas Hussain
Glaswegians crossing George Square on Thursday 22 July got an insight into human rights abuses in the Gambia.
A rally, on what was Gambia’s national Freedom Day, highlighted the travesty of conditions there.

Co-ordinated by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and supported by the National Union of Journalists, the gathering heard from Labour MP for Glasgow Central, Anas Sarwar. He said: ‘I am pressing the Westminster government to address the human rights issues in the Gambia. And I am fully behind the Gambian journalists and their supporters who demonstrated in Glasgow today.’

Glasgow was one of 19 cities throughout the world which publicised the harrowing and deteriorating situation in the Gambia.
There were powerful and impassioned speeches from: Pete Murray, President of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ); John Matthews, Chair of the Glasgow NUJ branch; Arthur West, Amnesty International Chairperson in Ayrshire; Jock Morris of the Campaign to Welcome Refugees; Alieu Badara Ceesay, exiled Gambian journalist.
Local citizens and members of the supporting organisations were urged to continue to demonstrate until the rule of fear in Gambia is stopped and the rule of law is re-instituted.

Briggait born again

by Lynsay Keough, photos Stuart Maxwell

One of the most familiar features on the Glasgow skyline reopened its doors in July. As if beaming with pride,  sunlight flooded into the newly restored Briggait on launch day.

The beautiful, A-listed,  former fishmarket has been lovingly transformed and now houses more than 80 artists and art organisations. It hosted several Merchant City Festival events.

Members of the public will be able to access the stunning 1873 courtyard on a permanent basis from this month.

The redevelopment has taken two years and £6.5 million to complete. Funding came from various sources including Glasgow City Council, Scottish Arts Council Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, the Hugh Fraser Foundation, the Mickel fund and ethical lenders, Tridos Bank.

David Cook, Chief Executive of WASPS Studios, the Arts charity responsible for the redevelopment,  is delighted with the uptake of the new studio facilities. He said: ‘We have been able to offer people on our waiting list the new studios. Some artists have come over from King Street. The light and energy in the Briggait is amazing.’
Attending the launch was Jennifer Paterson, one half of “Spokes”, a aerial duo skilled in acrobatic displays with lengths of  silk.

Glasgow man bags top photography award

Glasgow’s Jim Dunn has landed first prize in a prestigious global photography competition for his dramatic and emotive exposure of the new Riverside Museum.

Famous photographer Amanda Van has said: ‘Everything around us, ourselves included, is in constant change. Photography is our means of capturing now – and to remember where we’ve come from.’ Jim, an amateur photographer who works for Glasgow Life, put this theory into practice as construction of the new Riverside Museum gathered pace.

Jim said: ‘For the past few years I have been documenting the construction of the building on the old dockyard. Every couple of months I go to the site and photograph the next stage. As you can imagine, I have hundreds of images!’

Out of these hundreds came ‘Elements’. It shows a worker in a cherry picker, against the skeleton of the new building and a threatening, stormy sky.  Jim’s ‘Elements’ was chosen from 1000 entries to scoop the 2010 Chartered Institute of Building’s Art of Building digital photography competition.

Reflecting on his award, Jim said: ‘A colleague of mine alerted me to the Art of Building competition which he noted in a magazine. The image I submitted was taken about a year ago. To win really is something else.’

The judges were swayed by the photograph’s  placement of austere building structure and weather beside the honest endeavour of the working man.  One judge commented: ‘The structure is cathedral-like, the juxtaposition of the storm clouds and building is very powerful, but the construction worker is up there in his cherry picker doing what he needs to do.’

The competition runs annually and is open to amateur and professional photographers. The new £74 million Riverside Museum has been designed by Zaha Hadid architects and is due to open its doors in 2011.

Jim’s award completes a Glasgow double in the photography  stakes. Last month, Glasgow’s Paul Cook won the UK-wide Marwell Wildlife Photographer of the Year award with his ‘Swallows Tale-The Chase.’ A great year for Glasgow photography! As Ezra Pound said:  ‘All great art is born of the metropolis.’

Music Hall memories

by Lynsay Keough

This weekend  the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in the Trongate

will open its doors during the Merchant City Festival to offer Music Hall Memories.

The Music Hall,  famous for the early performances of Stan Laurel, Dan Leno, Sir Harry Lauder and Jack Buchanan, is looking forward to entertaining a new generation on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July.
There will be magic, music, comedy antics, speciality acts, sing-a-longs and exhibitions. The performances will be at 1pm and 3pm, but patrons are advised to be there 15 minutes earlier.

The performances of Music Hall Memories will be free but donations are welcome. In 1997 a charitable trust was founded to rescue, restore and reopen the auditorium. But financial help is needed to keep it going.

For further information contact

Brittania Panopticon Trust
113 – 117 Trongate,
Glasgow
G1 5HD
Tel: 0141 553 0840

Champions light up Springburn

Springburn Fire Station was ablaze with excitement when it hosted the latest round of Community Champions on Thursday 22 July.
More than 200 people gathered from the city’s North East communities to honour those people and groups who have made life better for everyone.
Part of the Evening Times’s award scheme, the Community Champions were presented with their accolades by Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson, Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, Bailie Jim Todd representing Glasgow Community Plannning Partnerships and Tony Carlin, Evening Times Editor.
First up was the individual award which went to Margaret Thomson of Sighthill Community One Stop Shop for her volunteer work which had made ‘a massive impact’ on the area. Gary McBain was praised for his Peer Education activities and William McCool’s youth football teams had kept many kids out of trouble.
The public service team award went to the Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries whose work force of 260 highly skilled people produce a wide range of furniture or kitchens or classrooms, offices or homes and operate like one big family to help each other despite disabilities. Said George Gaffney, head of manufacturing: ‘It is a great honour to get this award. The hard work and quality of the work produced by everyone is what merits this recognition.’
Audrey McJimpsey, manager of the company’s learning centre added: ‘We are very proud of this award.’ And Allan McGuinness, Chairman of the National Union for the Blind and Disabled commented: ‘This is a great success. This business promotes and supports people in the community.’
Other contenders in this category were the Molendinar Burn Park Steering Group which is creating play space from derelict land and the Brunswick Centre which started as a boys club in the 1950s and is still encouraging good sportsmanship and play across a variety of sports.
The Public Service individual award went to Deborah Gibson who, as a Glasgow Housing Association officer in Sighthill, inspired local residents to ‘Touch the Sky’ with a wide variety of activities and projects which enhanced the quality of life in the area.
The three other contenders were June Aird and Linda Fraser who work for different aspects of Red Road Family Centre and PC Ian Brogan who has been a police officer in Blackhill for 29 years and is the ‘epitome of what a community policeman should be.’
In the Seniors category the Champion award went to Hannah Simpson of Royston who has been dedicated to improving the area since she started on a steering committee in the 1980s which produced the Garngad Housing Association. Also honoured were Robert Lowe who has been a powerful advocate in the fight against lung cancer since he was diagnosed with a rare form of it and given only a few months to live – in 1993! Margaret Grimes who despite mobility problems and being deaf since suffering meningitis at the age of two, has contributed enormously to community events in Springburn and for the North Glasgow Housing Association. Said Margaret after the event: ‘I couldn’t believe it! I’m over the moon and very happy about this award.’
Young People were recognised with Roisin Craig and Erin Friel being given a joint Champion Award – a first joint award in the Champion series. Roisin spoke up for young people through All Saints Secondary school’s campaign on the sale of cheap drink which took her and her peers to the Scottish Parliament to state their case. Erin was described as the ‘best thing since sliced bread in Cowlairs’ for being an inspiration to others at Depot Arts despite personal problems.
Lord Provost Bob Winter summed up the evening when he said: ‘It strikes me that the depth and breadth of every champion is that they are good neighbours and good citizens.’

Springburn Alive & Kicking won the team award by showing how the seniors citizens can keep spirits up and the rest of the community on its toes. Barmulloch Community Development Company was praised for promoting dozens of programme which reach out to a wide variety of people. Robroyston Community Council received recognition and tribute for their initiatives to enlighten people in their community on important local issues.

The evening was the second last in this series of Community Champions with the Champion of Champions night scheduled for October 6 in Glasgow City Chambers.

College nursery closed

photographs Stuart Maxwell

Thistle Nursery at Glasgow’s College of Nautical Studies has finally closed. The last day children attended was Friday 23 July when all the stops were pulled out to make it a happy, memorable end of term fun day. But as one member of staff said: ‘This is a sad/happy day.’
The College which is one of three merging to form a new £300m New Glasgow College campus straddling the river, said the closure was due to ‘financial viability and long term future.’ There are no nursery facilities planned for the new super campus.
Former nursery school pupils, such as 13-year-old Linsey Vipond’, said with tear filled eyes: ‘I grew up here. It is really sad the Nursery is closing.’
Her mother, Greta worked full time and had both her children at Thistle Nursery. ‘The staff here are absolutely fabulous. I can’t believe the College would let go of a wonderful resource like this with such dedicated staff,’ she said.
Since last year when the closure was announced, the team of 23 staff has been reduced to 10 with each one of those left,

still looking for a job. The Nursery was able to care for 75 children full-time.
Don MacKeen, a parent and a lecturer at the Nautical College told the LOCAL NEWS; ‘Closing this nursery reduces prospects for students to go into further education. I can’t see the sense of it. If there were financial problems then it should have been sorted out a long time ago. Parents would have paid more if they’d been asked. But I think the truth is that the Nautical College was stripping down to bare essentials to prepare for the merger.’

Notorious or Not, the issue remains?

Story and photograph by Stuart Maxwell

The headline ran ‘Women’s Hostel Plan Sparks Fury’ and told the story of local families determined to fight plans to build a new £4.2m women’s hostel in the Parkhouse area of Glasgow.

This new facility is to replace the ‘ notorious Inglefield Hostel in Govanhill.’
This word ‘notorious’ leaves Geraldine Lynch and Elaine Haddow squirming in their seats. Both women work at Inglefield and know the 67 homeless women living there.

Elaine’s title is Service Planning and Commissioning Manager for Glasgow City Council’s Social Work Services. Her task is to establish a  new facility and  relocate the women.  As Women’s Services Manager, Geraldine runs Inglefield on a day to day basis. She has worked there for the past 16 years. The building was originally an overnight rest point for railway workers and stewards on long distance trains.
The squirming in seats is to disguise an irritation that perhaps borders on anger. ‘We are very protective of the women. But this is natural, for we are paid to protect them,’ says Elaine. Geraldine joins in: ‘I don’t understand this word ‘notorious’. The women read these articles and it upsets them; of course it does. Inglefield is not notorious,’ she contends.
But for most of the public, Inglefield is, indeed, notorious. What most people know about the hostel is gleaned from the times it has made national headlines. Inglefield was saturated with media coverage in 2005, when resident Emma Caldwell was murdered. In the minds of many, Inglefield became synonymous with Emma’s sad story: a heroin addict who worked as a prostitute.
Geraldine and Elaine see it as wrong that such tragic instances should be used to frame a perception of Inglefield.

It is hard to disagree with this conjecture. Inglefield gives a home to homeless women, many of whom, says Elaine; ‘have come from very traumatic and dangerous situations.’

Staff at Inglefield work with the women and, when appropriate, move them on to other local services where problems can be tackled. ‘Drug addiction is one problem, but it is not the main one, ’ says Geraldine. She adds: ‘What you don’t have in Inglefield is chaos.’
However, the public perception is different; leaving Elaine and Geraldine in a difficult position.

They are ‘paid to protect’ and in many cases protection involves offering privacy to women living out  harrowing and sensitive circumstances. As much as they want to dispel those ideas Elaine sees as ‘just wrong’,  the detailing of any of the lives of the residents in the Inglefield hostel would represent to Elaine and Geraldine, a failure in their duty of care to the women.

To the general public, like local residents opposing the proposed new residential  facility for women to be sited  in the Parkhouse/Possilpark area,  the women of Inglefield are an unknown quantity. In their lack of knowledge and of understanding of who the women are and what they have suffered and how they can be assisted to regain their lives, public  fears allow worst possible scenarios to be developed.
While respecting the women’s anonymity, Elaine is keen to stress the variety of issues that cause a woman to become homeless. Currently, Inglefield accommodates victims of domestic and sexual abuse, victims of financial failure, drug and alcohol abusers and asylum seekers.
It  is being closed because, according to Elaine, it has an ‘institutional feel,’ the sort of place that can ‘eat away at your confidence’.

Currently 67 women live in the hostel. By 2012 Glasgow City Council hopes to have dispersed them to several new, smaller and more appropriate facilities throughout the city. Elaine and Geraldine consider it their crucial duty to improve the  physical surroundings for each woman currently resident at Inglefield hostel.  The proposed venue in Parkhouse/Possilpark would, for example,  house approximately twenty women, each with an en-suite room. Each woman will have her own key worker who will draw on other support services when necessary.  Said Elaine: ‘Staff members are trained to recognise issues, we don’t do it all ourselves, and this will not be changing in the new service.’
The fury sparked by the plans to relocate some of the residents from the old Inglefield building to purpose built accommodation, is one side of an issue.

On the other side, are  people like Elaine and Geraldine who squirm when they encounter gross misconceptions of the vulnerable people in their care.  They are determined to protect the women.

The problem seems to be, that by showing these perceptions as wrong, the privacy of the women will be threatened. Therefore, the issue remains unaired, unresolved and contentious.

Wyndford Centre opens

By Lynsay Keough, photos by Stuart Maxwell

The new Wyndford community centre is now open.

Lord Provost Bob Winter and Councillor Jim Coleman, executive member for Land and Environmental Services, marked the occasion by cutting the ribbon to the new Maryhill centre  and outdoor facilities on Saturday 17 July.

The centre is expected to become a focal point for people of all ages with sports and fitness facilities, a learning and educational base, state-of-the-art computer gaming areas, a stage for drama plays and performances and a stylish café. There are also outdoor play facilities and a multi-use games area.

The launch followed a period of extensive refurbishment of the former St Gregory’s Primary School building and the neighbouring former Wyndford Primary School. The centre and its facilities were developed thanks to a £500,000 investment from Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and Land and Environmental Services. This was done following a long battle by local residents to retain the two schools in community use after they were closed.

Glasgow Community and Safety Services will manage the much-needed recreation centre which is open five days from Tuesday to Saturday from 9.15 am till 9.30 pm. The Services have been working closely with the local community to ensure the centre offers the range of activities and services best suited to residents’ needs.

CUBE Housing Association, which has come under stark criticism from the local community in the past,  also welcomed the development as it provides a new channel for communication which could help the Association improve its profile. Their Chief Executive, Lynn McCulloch, commented : ‘It’s because Cube belongs to Wyndford that we are deeply involved in bringing a new community focus to “The Barracks” as it is called locally.  Losing the two primary schools was a blow but it brought out a determined spirit. This new facility is the result.

‘It is natural that we should be part of this for Cube is owned and run by local people and is completely committed to the resurgence of Wyndford within a revived Maryhill.  The centre will host our ‘Positive Pathways’ project which provides support and opportunities for young people. That project will relocate from the old Wyndford Recreation Centre to the new facility.  It will also be the home for a new employment skills course we set up with  Glasgow North Regeneration Agency.

‘ The centre gives residents a new place to meet with us and we can put up exhibitions about all the home improvements we are currently doing.  It also brings together many local organisations and shows that we can work together even more!’

Lord Provost Bob Winter said: ‘I’m delighted  to open this centre, which is a real asset for the local community and will provide much-needed resources for local people.

‘I hope it will become a focal point and that the activities on offer will increase over time and develop alongside  community needs.

‘This state-of-the-art centre is a fantastic resource and will improve the quality of life for residents of all ages in this part of the city. It is a platform for change.’

Yoga health plan is working

A ten year plan to improve the health of people in Scotland, got another boost with the recent visit to Glasgow of Swami Ramdev Ji, a world renowned yoga and health guru.
He met some of the schoolchildren who are being taught his form of Patanjali yoga which is the development of deep breathing exercises.
In an exclusive interview with the LOCAL NEWS, the revered teacher – who has a daily satellite television following of billions of people around the world-  said: ‘Children are the future of healthy families, a healthy society and a healthy nation. Through practising yoga, they will benefit in their own personal lives and that will benefit society and the world where they are citizens.’
He continued: ‘We want to save our children from drugs, disease and violence – particularly in Scotland. Yoga can control these things. People who practise yoga will never commit suicide – they don’t get stressed or depressed. If our children learn yoga early they will naturally help others and by doing that they help develop a more caring society.’
His Scottish based supporters, Glasgow business leaders, Sam and Sunita Poddar, have gifted the Wee Cumbrae island off Largs to his Trust foundation. They train the yoga teachers who give their time voluntarily to teaching the deep breathing techniques, expounded by Swami Ji. In this way the Poddar’s ten year plan to improve health in Scotland, is progressing.

Said the Indian guru: ‘In the first year 100 yoga teachers were trained. Now we have ten times that number. And the yoga is being taught in 35 primary schools in the Glasgow area.’

One of the Scottish teachers is Rachel Carr who is a primary school teacher in the city’s East End. She told the LOCAL NEWS: ‘Once they got used to the idea of doing these yoga exercises every day, the concentration and behaviour of the children in my class,  improved noticeably. There is much less stress and fighting in the classroom and the playground. Now they really enjoy that time and so do I!’ She runs an out-of-school yoga class once a week for other pupils who want to learn the breathing exercises.

At the reception given for Swami Ji in a newly created yoga class function room and community venue in Kinning Park,  a mother of two, Vandana Bajpai, gave a telling testimony to the benefits of his style of yoga.  Said the 34-year-old Glasgow resident: ‘I had a difficult time having my first baby who is now eight years old. When I became pregnant again, I was advised to try yoga so I practised it for half an hour each day. The result was amazing. The birth was painless, it was over very quickly and my son who is now one year old, is very fit and healthy.’ A thyroid condition she previously had, has also gone.

Arti Poddar, a daughter of Mr and Mrs Poddar, who runs an award winning Nature & Herbs business at Milnpark Trading Estate in Lambhill Quadrant, Kinning Park, G41, has dedicated a large function room within her business unit to yoga. ‘We will hold regular, free yoga classes here,’ she said. ‘It was a great honour to welcome Swami Ji here.’

The entrance to the business unit was bedecked in tartan and had various Hindu religious and celebration symbols on display to welcome Swami Ramdev Ji who, with colleague Acharya Balkrishna Ji promotes Yog (a) and the science of holistic healing called Ayurved which is rooted in ancient Indian knowledge.  The two highly respected men have co-founded the Patanjali Yog Peet Trust which is now recognised world wide. Scotland, through the Poddar family, is benefitting from the modern promotion of this ancient knowledge and yog(a) exercises via the Trust.

Nicola weds

Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Minister for Health and Wellbeing, attended to her own health and wellbeing by marrying her partner of several years, Peter Murrell, Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party, on Glasgow Fair Friday, 16 July.
The couple held the ceremony in Oran Mor function suite on Great Western Road, Glasgow, surrounded by close family then had a reception for friends.
MSP for Govan, Nicola celebrates her 40th birthday on Monday 19 July and her flower girl, niece Harriet Nicola Owens, had her 4th birthday on the wedding day. ‘She also had a cake’ said an insider.
Dressed in an elegantly simple white satin dress, Nicola made time to pose for a battery of press photographers and some SNP supporters who brought Golden Sun rice to shower the couple with ‘golden’ ‘sunny’ thoughts.
Proud groom Peter was wearing a kilt in what he called ‘Highland Battle’ tartan. So while the couple are officially on holiday from Hollyrood, Peter, at least, is still prepared for battle.

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