GLASGOW'S fire crews have been helping city communities as part of our Streets Ahead campaign.

As well as helping to deliver fire safety messages, they have helped residents rebuild vandalised projects, create new gardens and strengthen community spirit in areas blighted by anti-social behaviour.

In Harhill, led by former Govan Station Commander John McKenna, residents, firefighters and community groups worked together to stop vandalism from winning the day.

With the support of a £1000 grant from Streets Ahead, plus further funding from Glasgow Housing Association, Tesco Bank and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, a street which had suffered seven fires in one week was transformed thanks to a beautiful community garden.

John, who has now moved to a different station, explained: "As part of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue's ongoing support of Streets Ahead, we wanted to make a difference to an area we felt needed some help.

"We'd thought about putting in some flowerbeds, and maybe getting local schools involved in planting on a little bit of unused land in Elderpark Street – but as soon as we started talking to people about it, the project took off in ways we never imagined."

In the north of the city, a community garden badly damaged by vandals got a new lease of life, thanks to determined locals and Streets Ahead.

Heartless vandals set fire to Milton Community Garden last November, destroying equipment, materials and plants.

Helped by a £1500 grant from Streets Ahead and subsequent additional funding from GHA, crews from Springburn Fire Station helped the devastated residents rebuild their community resource.

Scott Kennedy, Springburn Station Commander, said: "Our crews know how important this garden is to the people who live here and we wanted to help them get it back up and running.

"The Evening Times campaign is fantastic."

Lamlash Nursery School's garden suffered a similar attack by vandals and local fire crews were among the first to help rebuilding it.

A £4000 grant from Streets Ahead allowed the nursery to replace play equipment, plants, seating and tables and install new furniture.

Construction students from John Wheatley College's Enhanced Vocational Inclusion Programme worked tirelessly to build everything from beastie boxes and compost bins to planters designed as boats.