Playgroup finds Community home

Partick Croilleagan - the only group of its kind in Glasgow's West End - had been based at St Peter's Primary School in Chancellor Street for years.

The group had free use of a room as part of a "gentleman's agree-ment" with the council.

But the volunteer-led group, which caters for children up to five, were left homeless after the school merged with Notre Dame Primary.

The playgroup moved to a temporary venue at Mosspark Park Church when the new term started on August 14 but has now been offered a permanent home at Scotstoun Community Centre.

Nan MacDonald, 62, who runs the sessions as a volunteer, said: "We have a woman called Jill McCubbin to thank. Her children have all left the nursery and are now at school.

"She lives near to the community centre and asked if we would be able to use it.

"They are giving it to us for a community rent. We have the back-ing of Bòrd na Gàidhlig. It's a fantastic centre run by volunteers.

"We have already got 29 children on our books since we started at our new home."

The Croilleagan has been based in St Peter's since 2001 and has had as many as 36 children regularly attending.

St Peter's has been merged with Notre Dame as part of Glasgow City Council's School Estate Strategy.

Scotland has three Gaelic medium educa-tion (Gme) schools, in Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh, and a fur-ther 58 schools offer Gme alongside English medium education.

The number of children aged up to three receiving Gaelic education has risen by 16% in a year.

More places will be created in schools where lessons are taught in Gaelic as a result of a £4million funding boost from the Scottish Government.

Languages Minister Alasdair Allan said the cash would help encour-age a "new generation" of Gaelic speakers, which he said was "so important" for the future of the language.

Partick Croilleagan meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-3pm at Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre, 64 Balmoral Road, G14 0BL.

caroline.wilson@ eveningtimes.co.uk