CASTLEMILK pensioners are battling depression and isolation with the help of their local community centre.

Members of Castlemilk Senior Centre have paid tribute to the services it offers, and said it has changed their lives.

The facility on Dougrie Drive was one of more than 700 older people's groups in the UK to receive lottery funding.

They were given more than £168,000 by the Big Lottery fund to pay for their special Adapting to Change project which helps older people live independently in their own homes and make new friends.

Mary O'Hara, 67, has been visiting the centre for the last two years and said she "can't imagine" her life without it.

The retired auxiliary nurse has a chest condition and breathing problems, and started feeling lonely after her husband died.

She said: "I have lived own my own since my husband died 15 years ago very suddenly in front of me.

"I have two children and four grandchildren who live close by but it’s not the same.

"People are always telling me it gets better with time but that’s not my experience.

"I think it can be harder and sometimes I find it really difficult when I come back to an empty house and there’s no one there to listen to my stories, where I’ve been or the laughs I have had that day.

"I don’t think I will ever get used to that."

Mary said the senior centre has helped her meet new people and connect with her community again.

She said: " I have a lot of new friends now and have met so many new people.

"I am here at least twice a week and it’s great to know that, when you get lonely or a bit down, there’s always somewhere you can go for a blether, get a laugh, speak to people about your problems, share your experiences or even get a lovely meal in the café here.

"Places like our centre are so important for people who don’t have anyone – either no family living nearby or no family at all.

"I wish that they could copy this centre and it was everywhere – I would put one in every community across the country."

Fellow centre user Maureen Duncan has lived on her own since she divorced and her youngster daughter left home.

The 70-year-old suffers from emphysema and spent most of her time alone at home until she found the centre.

She said: " Before I came to the Senior Centre I think I was becoming depressed.

"My condition was keeping me confined to the house and I like to be busy, it was really frustrating as I was always used to being active.

"My neighbour told me about the Centre and one day when I was passing I just popped in to see the new building.

"It’s such a beautiful place I felt at home straight away. It’s given me a new lease of life and I love taking part in as many activities as I can.