Two Maggie’s for Glasgow

At the start of breast cancer awareness month it was appropriate that a new Maggie’s centre opened in Glasgow at Gartnavel Hospital. The city is the first place to have two Maggie’s Centres where people with cancer and their families can go for quietness, nurturing and care. The original Maggie’s on Dumbarton Road at the Western Infirmary gatehouse, will continue its important, supportive work.

Funded by Walk the Walk which runs the Edinburgh Moonwalks in Edinburgh, Iceland and London, the Gartnavel Maggie’s was designed by Dutch architects and Pritzker Prize winners, OMA and landscaped by Lily Jencks, daughter of Maggie’s founders. It was built by Dunne Group.

High on a hill, the single-level building forms a ring of interlocking rooms surrounding an internal landscaped courtyard. The new Maggie’s overlooks Glasgow and Gartnavel Hospital and is a stone’s throw from Scotland’s leading oncology facility, the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, which serves a population of 2.8 million people (60 per cent of Scotland’s population). People at any stage of their cancer journey will be able to access the professional and peer-led support available at Maggie’s to help them to build a life with, through and beyond cancer.

The space has been designed to feel casual, almost carefree, allowing an individual to feel at ease and at home and part of an empathetic community of people.

Laura Lee, Maggie’s Chief Executive, said: ‘This is a celebration of a fantastic new resource for the west of Scotland’s cancer population, as well as a celebration of this pivotal year in Maggie’s history. It’s hard to believe that it was fifteen years ago when we opened our very first centre in Edinburgh – delivering Maggie Keswick Jencks’ vision of providing an antidote to the isolation and despair of cancer. It soon became apparent that other regions and communities greatly needed a Maggie’s Centre too, and through wonderful support, we have managed to grow our network of centres and today take great pride in our newest centre – Maggie’s Gartnavel. OMA have created a truly unique environment, which will help to facilitate our programme of support, by making people feel safe, inspired and valued, whilst Lily Jencks garden design complements the centre beautifully. Most importantly, Maggie’s Gartnavel has been made possible through a unique partnership with Walk the Walk, whose tenacious Edinburgh MoonWalkers, take to the streets of Edinburgh each year in wonderfully decorate bras to raise money to support cancer charities. Thank you to Walk the Walk and to everyone who has graciously support us over the years – you are helping to make a huge difference.’

The Lighthouse architectural showcase in Glasgow’s city centre, currently has an exhibition on OMA and Maggie’s.

This being the 15th year of Maggie’s Centres, the cancer charity aims to have 15 centres up an running or on the drawing board, by the end of 2011.

 

Tending Success

A Glasgow barman from the Three Judges on Dumbarton Road was the judges’ pick at the recent inaugural Glenfiddich Malt Mastermind Awards.

Colin McMillan was named ‘Malt Mastermind of the Year’, beating eight contestants, to land the prestigious title, as well as a whopping £1000 cash prize and a VIP trip to the world renowned Glenfiddich distillery. At the distillery, Colin will get the rare chance to sample some of Glenfiddich’s most precious malts.

The awards ceremony in London saw the finalists exhibit their whisky knowledge and asked them to showcase their creative flair when presenting drink. In the end, it was a Glasgow 1-2. Colin took the title ahead of Frank Murphy who tends the bar in The Clockwork Beer Co. Both pubs are part of the Maclay Inns chain.

Steve Mallon, Managing Director of Maclay Inns, was clearly delighted that his company was so well represented at the Glenfiddich awards. He said: ‘To have not one but two of our bartenders come out on top is a great achievement. It shows they have great passion and flair and are keen to stay at the forefront of the industry.’

Siege court appearance

Following the siege in Partick on Friday 10 September, 22-year-old John McDermott appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on a variety of charges including assaulting police officers by throwing grenades at them, assaulting his wife Jillian, two counts of breach of the peace – one for holding a knife to his own throat and the other for throwing things from his second- floor window in Partick.

He was also charged under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act for allegedly doing these things while supposedly looking after a child. No plea or declaration was given and the man has been remanded in custody pending a bail plea to be heard later this week.

An entire section of Dumbarton Road was cordoned off for more than eight hours when a siege scenario developed with armed police, bomb disposal and emergency services in attendance. Residents were confined to their homes and businesses were unable to open.

Siege over

At 4.05pm on Friday 10 September 2010, a 22 year old man was arrested following an incident, reported Strathclyde Police. He was led out of the building on Dumbarton Road, quietly.
A part of Dumbarton Road was evacuated around 7.30am and sealed off by armed police with a bomb disposal squad and all the emergency services standing by in the course of the day while an apparent siege was underway. See report on this page.

Police evacuate residents in siege street

As this edition of the LOCAL NEWS GLASGOW’s enews letter was being prepared, a major siege incident was taking place in Dumbarton Road near Crow Road.
Armed police, a bomb disposal squad and all emergency services were in wait and negotiations were underway with a man, thought to have a gun or with other weapons who had locked himself into his flat in Dumbarton Road.
‘It is scary,’ said LOCAL NEWS journalist Lynsay Keough who was on the spot along with photographer Stuart Maxwell.

‘People don’t know if a man will come out meekly or if there is likely to be some kind of explosion. He appears to have thrown objects out of the window. One of them has landed on the roof of the bus stop below the flat and that may – or may not – be a handgun. Two other objects are in the road way but whether these are grenades, flares or anything else, we don’t know.’

About 30 – 40 residents were evacuated around 7.30am and taken to the nearby Baptist Church. But most quickly went to homes of family and friends. No business were allowed to open in that part of the street and the Merklands Nursery in Crow Road was closed.
It is understood the incident started as a ‘domestic’ between the man and his wife who does not appear to be still in the house.
Watch our website for updates: www.localnewsglasgow.co.uk