IT'S not only on the airwaves that community radio station Sunny Govan forecasts a bright future for the South West of Glasgow.
IT'S not only on the airwaves that community radio station Sunny Govan forecasts a bright future for the South West of Glasgow.
In the latest stage of our Community Champion Awards campaign, we highlight three examples of dazzling initiatives helping to transform one of the city's most historic quarters.
HOW TO ENTERDOWNLOAD an entry form or apply online at www.eveningtimes.co.uk by following the link to the Community Champions section.Call Gayle Cooper on 0141 302 7319 or email gayle.cooper@heraldandtimes.co.uk for a form. Write to Glasgow Community Champion Awards, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Any forms completed for outside the current Govan and Craigton location will be kept on file until the month of the relevant awards ceremony. |
We are still looking for your nominations of unsung neighbourhood heroes living and working around Ibrox, Tradeston, Govan, Bellahouston, Craigton, Mosspark, Cardonald, Penilee, Crookston, Corkerhill, Drumoyne and Hillington.
Tell us about the outstanding organisations, inspiring young people and remarkable public service teams by filling in a nomination form today. The deadline for entries is next Thursday, March 12.
The Glasgow Community Champion Awards - a partnership between Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and the Evening Times - is scouring the city to turn the spotlight on ordinary people making a big difference.
The awards will visit ten areas of the city, hosting a ceremony in each neighbourhood.
The Govan and Craigton ceremony is the fifth event in the awards calendar and will take place on Thursday, March 26 at the Pearce Institute, 840-860 Govan Road at 6pm.
Refreshments will be served at the free event, during which readers can chat to representatives from the awards partners to find out about plans for the area.
All 60 winners from each of the ten city areas will then be invited to a gala final held at the City Chambers in September, where the overall Community Champions will be crowned.
Sarah gets packing for charity
SARAH FINDLAYENVIRONMENTAL activist Sarah Findlay, from Linthouse, is a woman who wears her heart on her sleeve.
At last year's Govan Fair, the mum-of-two wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: "I'm Lovin' Govan."
Sarah is the woman behind Starter Packs Glasgow, a charity providing home packs to vulnerable households beginning new tenancies.
Last year, it provided 908 households with goods such as pots and pans, bed linen, curtains and children's books.
Starter Packs has a volunteer base of up to 25 people to call on, and it estimates that it saves around 172 tonnes of goods from landfill every year.
It recently opened its second premises on Burleigh Street with the help of Glasgow Housing Association and it is working towards creating a fashion line and recycled retro clothing store.
Anti-litter campaigner Sarah is on Drumoyne Community Council and is part of the Clean Glasgow drive.
She hosts an environmental show on Sunny Govan radio on Fridays.
 PLANTATION PRODUCTIONSTHE WORK of Plantation Productions will document Govan's rich social tapestry for generations to come.Arts worker Moya Crowley set up the media project in 2001 in a community centre in Kinning Park to help people improve their lives by learning video and multimedia skills. The project now boasts an archive of over 100 films recording the life and times of South West Glasgow and the archive will soon be available for the community to view online. It bears permanent testament to the new skills being learned every day. "Our video archive is a really good tool - it's like logging a piece of social history," says project manager Moya. "I set this up initially to document people's attitudes - there was so much regeneration and change happening in Govan that I thought it would be good to document that. It grew from there. "With video you can make stories and tell stories without actually having to be on screen and there's a bit of glamour involved." Plantation Productions brings filmmaking and digital technology to local people, which builds confidence and encourages teamwork. The trainees made over 40 films, shorts and animations last year. With an annual turnover of around £110,000 it employs three full-time and two part-time staff and has a membership of around 300 people. It receives funding from the Big Lottery fund and the Fairer Scotland Fund to organise projects including a filmmaking clubs for youngsters, a comedy project for those aged 16-25, a film discussion group and a senior citizens' group. It worked with Govan Housing Association and arts organisation Roots in the Community to transform a row of derelict shops in Govan into community hub The Portal, where it is now based. |  LINTHOUSE URBAN VILLAGE PROJECTIT started as an artistic project to transform rundown shopfronts - now it has created a new gateway to Govan.The urban village project took root in 2003 to improve the image of Linthouse. It now includes a cafe employing six people, an exhibition space and two workshop and community learning rooms, plus additional plans to transform the derelict Fairfield Farmhouse in Elder Park into a £4.5million community centre. LUV co-ordinator Ingrid Campbell said: "I think we've been quite ambitious in what we've tried to achieve." The initiative is owned by Linthouse Housing Association and attracts grants for the projects it operates. Sessional workers and volunteers lead regular art and language classes, while local artists' work hangs on the walls of its gallery. This evening sees the launch of its latest exhibition, a series of contemporary quilts. A second workshop space opened last year to offer textile and dressmaking and LUV launched its LUVely Food cookbook with muti-cultural recipes. "We've helped put the heart back into the area," said Ingrid. | |||
