WHEN Mattie McGeouch and her family moved into their new house in Possilpark almost half a century ago it was a dream come true.

Unlike the home she had left in Bridgeton, it had an inside toilet and plenty of bedrooms for her parents, brothers and sisters.

But in less than 20 years, the flat, like others in the area, was damp with mushrooms and fungus growing in the property.

Mattie said: "A lot of people in the area were unwell because of the damp and they called it the Jungle because of the state of the place."

In 1984 she became one of the original members of a steering group of local residents who campaigned to take over the ownership and management of the 384 homes in the area from the city council.

They won their battle three years later and Hawthorn Housing Co-operative was set up and today celebrates its 30th anniversary on Scottish Housing Day.

Mattie, 60, who has taken over as chairwoman of the co-operative, says the change to the area in the past three decades has been remarkable.

She explained: "It is tremendous and I would recommend the area to anyone. Some people say they wouldn't move to Possipark because of its reputation but it is so safe and so quiet and if I won the Lottery, I wouldn't move anywhere else.

"The houses are wind and water tight, some have been adapted for disabled people and we have had new heating systems, kitchens and bathrooms.

"They are terrific and it is amazing what we have done over the years. It has been 30 years but we are getting there.

Mattie's mum Margaret Donnelly became the first to have her home adapted for disabled use and Rab C Nesbitt star Gregor Fisher agreed to hand over the keys to the property in Sloy Street where Mattie now lives.

As well as maintaining and improving their existing properties, the co-operative is also building 48 new homes on a plot of land which has been derelict for decades.

It was established as a registered social landlord in 1987 and all tenants join the co-operative by buying a £1 share.

The housing group has 191 refurbished ex-local authority tenements and 125 properties which were built by the co-operative between 1997 and 2004.

To mark Scottish Housing Day the Hawthorn co-operative has mounted a display of images showing the transformation of the area over the past 30 years.