Rwanda gets help from Oatlands

The Ladies of Oatlands who meet on a Wednesday for tea, conversation and a game of bingo, have raised more than £80 for destitute children in Rwanda.

Organiser Marie Reilly was crocheting a blanket when she first heard of volunteer Mary Millar going out to Rwanda to work with local projects. ‘I said then, I’d raffle the blanket when I finished it and give the proceeds to her for that work,’ said Marie.

And that’s what she did on Wednesday 11 April 2012. ‘We sold raffle tickets around in the community but mainly it was the pensioners who come on Wednesday afternoons to the OCRC (Oatlands Community Resource Centre who bought the tickets,’ ‘ she added.

The group heard how Mary works from dawn till dusk managing the projects which centre on street children and people with disabilities.

Marie is now gathering in more wool, knitting needles and crochet hooks and other craft supplies so that the Wednesday Ladies can run their own craft or art classes.  ’All donations would be gratefully received,’ said Ann Marie.

 

Resistance to destitution grows

Resistance is growing to the fact that as many as 140 asylum seekers will be made destitute in Glasgow in the next few weeks.

This follows a change of provider of accommodation from Ypeople, a British based Christian charity, to Serco an international conglomerate providing essential services in more than 30 countries. In the UK it runs electronic tagging, video surveillance, nuclear weapons maintenance, several prisons and two immigration removal centres.

At a rally of around 200 people on Thursday 12 April 2012, at the foot of the Red Road flats which are home to many asylum seekers, speaker after speaker spoke out against the inhumanity of putting vulnerable people onto the streets.

Chair of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Glasgow, John Matthews, told the crowd: ‘In Europe in living memory Jews were first of all refused the right to work, then removed from their homes. I see Glasgow going that way more and more with the asylum seekers. Asylum is a right under the United Nations Convention so don’t be put off by this struggle.’ The NUJ is the first trades union to count journalists who are seeking asylum, as full members of the union and it is encouraging other trades unions to do the same.

Jim Main of UNISON said that Ypeople’s proposal to throw out asylum seekers from their accommodation was ‘outrageous.’ He went on: ‘We will fight this through every trades unions branch. This is a civil emergency and we must demonstrate to prevent this happening. We must show we are a Glasgow that cares. Everyone must ask questions of people in power.’

Speaking as a Justice and Peace campaigner for the Catholic church, Carol Clarke stated: ‘People must be given human dignity and that means a roof over their head.’

College lecturer, Barrie Levine, praised the Scottish Government for its ‘excellent support.’ Both First Minister Alex Salmond and his Deputy Nicola Sturgeon had sent apologies and messages of support to the rally organisers. Said Barrie: ‘That is excellent, but I want to see Alex Salmond make representation to the UK Government which controls UK Borders Agency (UKBA) and I want to see him fully support our protests and make sure civilised values are brought into play. The Big Society should be called the Sick Society. It is a scandal that people are being made destitute and put onto the street. Make no mistake, Serco has this £175 million contract. But the Ypeople’s Board should hang their heads in shame. There is no need to evict anyone right now.’

In her address to the crowd, SNP MSP, Sandra White, said: ‘we have proposed practical ways forward. The Ypeople have a window of opportunity as they do not need to evict anyone till November. We have asked the Scottish Parliament Secretary for External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, to make our views known at Westminster. We are asking for the people who cannot be returned to places like Iran, Iraq and Somali because of wars, to be granted refugee status.’

Afro-Caribbean centre organiser Graham Campbell said: ‘The Ypeople Board should not be allowed to do this. It is disgusting. We should all tell them that in writing. The Afro-Caribbean Centre charity is refusing to work with Ypeople till it withdraws the threat of making destitute asylum seekers, homeless. It is a UK government issue and we must demand it be stopped.’

In a passionate speech, Angela McCormick of the Stop the War Coalition, declared: ‘We are here today to show Serco, Ypeople, Glasgow City Council, and everyone else that we will stand with those who have fled oppression – usually war. The link between this Coalition and the asylum seekers is that many of them have fled from war zones, bombs, missiles and weapons of destruction. They have come here seeking sanctuary. But how do we treat them? They are made destitute, kept in poverty and now being forced out of their homes.’ She added: ‘I believe we are the sensible majority. We do not want this to happen. Remember the people who fuelled the wars which caused the asylum seekers to flee in the first instance are the very people who make money from selling the missles and weapons of war.’

Organised by the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees, master of ceremonies, Jock Morris commented: ‘We want to send a statement to the UK Government and the Scottish Government saying lound and clear – refugees and asylum seekers are WELCOME HERE.’ On a show of hands practically everyone in the crowd agreed with the statement.

‘We are now organising another, bigger rally at the STUC in Woodlands Road, on Tuesday 17 April 2012 to decide on the best way forward, together,’  said Margaret Wood of the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees. Everyone  concerned about this issue is invited.’

Currently around half a dozen destitute asylum seekers are given overnight accommodation each night in a safe, warm place, with an evening meal, a full breakfast and a takeaway lunch pack. But that number is expected to increase dramatically as soon as Ypeople start evicting asylum seekers.

 

FORK CLEAN UP SATURDAY

FORK INVITE

Friends of the River Kelvin (FORK)  invite anyone interested in the environment to help them clean up a stretch of the River Kelvin on Saturday 7 April.

Assemble at 10.30am on the bridge on Kelvin Way.

All necessary protective gear provided.

FORK members do a monthly clean-up among other things. See the website for other information – including the summer gala. www.fork.org.uk

 

 

Bike Station on the move

Glasgow Bike Station is freewheeling in good directions.

First – this weekend – they re-locate to new, bigger premises in Haugh Street, Yorkhill. ‘We’ve over run the tiny space we started with in Barrowlands,’ explained Richard Kidd, the workshop manager.

In the expanded space, they’ll have more space for recondition bikes for sale and bike repair workshops among the other bike related activities the charity fosters.

Their newly acquired Awards will also be given display space in the sales show room. Earlier in March The Glasgow Bike Station won first prize at the Scottish Green List National Awards. The 2012 event honoured those working to make a difference to sustainable development in Scotland.

Gregory Chauvet, Bike Station Project Manager, said: ‘I am extremely proud of everyone at The Bike Station for their continued hard work throughout the year and for winning this prestigious award.’ It was presented by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Stewart Stevenson and announced by Keep Scotland Beautiful Chief Executive, Derek Robertson.

The Glasgow Bike Station picked up a further two awards the next day (Wednesday14 March) at the Grow Green Awards held at the Winter Gardens, Glasgow Green.

The first was for Best Sustainable Transport Project in Glasgow and the second for Outstanding Green Project in Glasgow.

The awards recognise individuals, groups, schools, and local businesses that made a real difference; whether getting people out on their bikes, growing their own food or even setting up community composting schemes.

Greg said: ‘These awards act as a catalyst for everyone at The Bike Station. It pushes us all to work towards a more cycle and environmentally friendly city.’

The project is one of more than 40 across Scotland granted Scottish Government Climate Challenge Funding. Their ‘A Better Way to Work’ events which promote cycling, walking and public transport as convenient and sustainable ways to travel to work, continue to keep The Bike Station on the move.

Guerrilla gardening pays off

Saturday 31 March will be the  Grand Opening Day for Kelvingrove Square Gardens. From 12 noon  till 3pm the little cultivated area outside the gates of Kelvingrove Park at Kelvingrove Street, will be alive with stalls, and music and people talking.

Mosaics designed by children from the nearby Gaelic School have been placed in the main patio area and several more are planned for other locations around the square.

The Square was taken under the wing of local residents when they considered it was lying neglected and unloved. With a lot of guerrilla gardening and dialogue with the Council, eventually support was found and the patch of green was improved. Now it is used as community space and has a ‘Friends of…’ group which has its annual general meeting scheduled for next month (see community notices)

GARDENERS UNITE

Annual General Meeting

Friends of Kelvingrove Square

 6.00 p.m.  Wednesday 18th April, 2012

 The Alamo Hotel, 46 Gray Street, Glasgow, G3. 

We are always looking for new members and new Committee members and nominations are welcome.

 Send them by email to: john.henderson@johnbhenderson.plus.com

Light refreshments will be served after the meeting.

Please come along and hear what we have achieved over the last year and our plans for the future.

Eden Springs replies

Following a request to the bottled water supply company Eden Springs for a comment on our story that  the University of Glasgow was not renewing their £200,000 contract, the company has sent a statement:

‘Eden Springs UK is aware of the campaign and is taking steps to address inaccuracies contained within it.

‘We have a well established customer network across Scotland and the UK, supplying spring and mineral water directly to consumers in their homes and offices, using water coolers and bottles.

‘Water supplied by Eden Springs in the United Kingdom is sourced, bottled and distributed entirely in the UK.  The Scottish water supply is sourced inAyrshire.

‘The long running campaign against Eden Springs’ Scottish operation by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has been discredited on many occasions, including the official dismissal by MSPs of a petition to the Scottish Parliament due to the campaign’s flawed and inaccurate assertions.  Across all the countries we operate in, the company strictly complies with all laws and legislation as required by national and local government.’

 

Eathquakes and sinking ships – scholarly studies

TITANIC to the Great East Japan Earthquake Documentation of Disasters Public Event Thursday 22nd March Kelvin Gallery University of Glasgow 10am – 3pm The White Star liner Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April 1912 and the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake took place almost a century later in March 2011. Both disasters sent shock waves round the world and were extensively covered in the world press that in both cases had to rely heavily on eye-witness accounts. The sinking of the Titanic still attracts huge public interest and the centenary will be commemorated in many events this year. Will the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake be similarly commemorated in 2111? The memory of the sinking of the Titanic was transmitted through images, film and records from before the events, the evidence of survivors and the reports of public enquiries on both sides of the Atlantic. The event was memorialized in public monuments such as that in Washington and subsequently in books and films. The memory of the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake will be transmitted through the same media, but with the important addition of digital images and the recorded testimony made by eye-witnesses at the time, using mobile phones and other personal devices and uploaded on social networking sites. This joint symposium between Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII), University of Glasgow, and Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (IIIS), University of Tokyo, in Glasgow, will bring together Japanese and Scottish scholars and is free to members of the public.  10.00 Coffee & welcome 10.30 Titanic: Professor Michael Moss 11.30 The 3/11 Memorial & Archive: Professor Shunya Yoshimi 13.30 Documenting 3/11 and Community Recovery: Professor Katsushi Ikeuchi 14.15 Fragile Communities: Dr. James Currall 15.00 Coffee There is no charge for attendance and all are welcome. For more information or to register for attendance , please contact Kirsti-Ann Mullen, Kirsti-Ann.Mullen@glasgow.ac.uk

Seeding a greener Oatlands

Oatlands Allotment Association are arranging a Seeding Sunday on 20 May and all are welcome. Claire Shearer of the Association who has a plot in the new setting said: ‘We hope to get interest from the local community and get people involved in seed swapping and giving out their surplus seedlings. It will be a community day to help inexperienced or budding gardeners. Folk can get advice on how to start or they might just want to know the best way to grow tomatoes on their window sill. Everyone is welcome.’

Possilpark teddies to meet Hamish

Children in Possilpark will have a special teddy bear day when author Moira Munro – whose Hamish stories are a favourite – will visit next week.

The under fives who attend the Stepping Stones for Families in Ardoch Childcare Centre have been invited to bring their own teddy to the nursery on Wednesday 21 March when Moira will host a story telling session for them and their parents. She will bring to life one of her characters – Hamish -the bear who found his child, which is one of the stories she’s written and illustrated.

Said Centre manager Angela Rushton-Clark: ‘We are delighted Moira Munro is coming here to inspire and enthuse our children, staff and parents. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring literacy alive to our youngest readers. Live Literature funding is a very valuable resource for Stepping Stones for Families as it enables us to increase our children and parents’ ability, confidence and enjoyment in reading and writing. It also means we can encourage them to extend their reading choices to include a diverse range of authors.’

Clare Rodgers, Live Literature Project Co-ordinator, said: ‘By subsidising writers’ events throughout Scotland, the Live Literature Scheme encourages organisations of all kinds to include authors in their programmes. The scheme also widens the audience for contemporary authors and writing by increasing the amount of literary activity.’

Stepping Stones for Families has four services operating in Possilpark where it has provided support for more than 23 years.

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