Bank holiday Monday, so I headed with my picnic basket to Alexandra Park.
I really love it there - it's peaceful, and you get a great view of the city from the top of the hill.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Alexandra Park
Bank holiday Monday, so I headed with my picnic basket to Alexandra Park.
I really love it there - it's peaceful, and you get a great view of the city from the top of the hill.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Slapdash...
I noticed in the latest edition of the Re-Gen that one of my ward colleagues has made a bit of an error in the surgery ad he's submitted.
The Labour administration he's a part of closed the school he's advertising a surgery in almost a year ago... you'd think he'd have noticed!
Other errors include the names of two of the community centres.
Friends of Glasgow Green AGM
Just a wee plug for the AGM of Friends of Glasgow Green, which is next Thursday at 3pm in the People's Palace. I've written in the past about their activities, bringing the Salvation Army to play at Christmas and a Pipe Band in the summer; they are always on the look out for new ideas and new members.
FRIENDS OF
IS
DO YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN ITS PROMOTION AND ITS FUTURE?
Come and meet us at 3 pm on
THURSDAY 27TH MAY 2010
In the WINTER GARDENS
3.00: FRIENDS OF
ALL WELCOME
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Out and about
I love going out and about and meeting people in my ward - getting an insight into people's lives is one of the great privileges and pleasures of this job.
Today was particularly busy, but kicked off with me lying in bed this morning, sniffling and whimpering, waking after a poor night's sleep with a heavy cold. It was so tempting to call off the many things I had scheduled, but I hate to stand people up.
First on the agenda was a meeting of Pensioners Action Group East. I love this group - they're so committed to helping other pensioners, and society at large. Many of the members volunteer time to help with other groups and work a lot with young people. The Chair, Andy, does so much, and even found the time to do a bit of hillwalking to raise funds for PAGE. I hadn't been to see the group for a wee while, so it was good to catch up. I was really touched that they had gotten me a present for the baby. Lovely people.
Next up was a quick visit to Tots Bots. While researching real nappies online, I noticed this company were based in the East End in Carntyne. I decided to nip in, and found them very welcoming. I'm quite keen to avoid contributing to the landfill waste that disposable nappies create, and after having seen the products Tots Bots produce, I'm seriously thinking of giving them a try. It's also nice to know that the nappies are produced right here in the East End, rather than in some remote factory. I aim to go back once the baby is born - I don't have room to store things in the flat just now!
I attended the weekly maternity exercise class at the Princess Royal at lunchtime. It's reassuring to know that the exercise I'm doing is appropriate and supervised. The class is a small one, but I've enjoyed the social aspect of meeting other pregnant women. I would recommend it!
After the class, I rushed off to meet with housing, GCSS and LES officers, and my fellow ward Councillor at a site in Barrowfield. Residents have been complaining for some time about fly-tipping, which has reached epic proportions. The site is owned by a private developer, and local people cut across the site as a short cut. It's been a tricky one to resolve, but enforcement officers hope to be able to get the site cleared, and charge the owners accordingly. Owners should take responsibility for their sites, but all too often, they are left for years without any kind of maintenance. The effect of this is a blight on communities; it's completely unfair to those who take care of their properties and try to improve their area.
Attending the class and the site visit meant that I couldn't be at today's Finance and Audit Committee. I'm loathe to miss Committee meetings; over the past three years I think I've only missed one or two and only when it's been completely unavoidable. It's difficult to get so many officers together for a site visit at any one time, so this time the Committee had to take second place.
I headed over to London Road Nursery to hand in some Tesco vouchers for clubs and schools. I try to share around the vouchers I collect, and this year some have also gone to St Anne's Primary and Elba Lane Nursery. It seems to take a lot of vouchers to get anything, so I hope my wee contribution helps a bit. If you have any stashed at the bottom of your handbag, please hand them in to your local school as soon as possible! It was nice to catch up with the head teacher at the Nursery, and see what's been going on since the last time I was in. I was already aware that nusery places are still oversubscribed in this part of Glasgow - as expected, the closure of Queen Mary Street and Mile End have only made this more difficult. I'm not sure how this can be resolved; it's a serious problem for families, especially those who work.
After visiting St Anne's last week, I popped back in again to see their parent-child cookery classes in action. In this pilot programme, parents and children participate in a series of classes, run by staff at the school, which teach them about cooking and nutrition. Basic cookery might sound simple, but many people have never made a meal from scratch, and have little idea what goes into the food they eat. Roasted vegetables, macaroni cheese and muffins were all on the menu tonight; the parents were amazed at how easy, cheap and tasty the meals were, and the children really enjoyed working together with their mums and dads as well as their teachers. I heard from the parents how much they valued the experience, and the staff spoke about the changes they had seen. The course has proved to be an important step for some, and has really broken down the barriers between school and community.
I also heard about the early progress being made by the Triple P programme. It's early days, but from what was said, it sounds as if it's already making an impact on some parents.
I finished my day with a surgery at Dalmarnock Primary. It was quiet tonight, so I got a chance to catch up with emails and prepare for tomorrow. Pretty tired, but it was a really interesting day!
Today was particularly busy, but kicked off with me lying in bed this morning, sniffling and whimpering, waking after a poor night's sleep with a heavy cold. It was so tempting to call off the many things I had scheduled, but I hate to stand people up.
First on the agenda was a meeting of Pensioners Action Group East. I love this group - they're so committed to helping other pensioners, and society at large. Many of the members volunteer time to help with other groups and work a lot with young people. The Chair, Andy, does so much, and even found the time to do a bit of hillwalking to raise funds for PAGE. I hadn't been to see the group for a wee while, so it was good to catch up. I was really touched that they had gotten me a present for the baby. Lovely people.
Next up was a quick visit to Tots Bots. While researching real nappies online, I noticed this company were based in the East End in Carntyne. I decided to nip in, and found them very welcoming. I'm quite keen to avoid contributing to the landfill waste that disposable nappies create, and after having seen the products Tots Bots produce, I'm seriously thinking of giving them a try. It's also nice to know that the nappies are produced right here in the East End, rather than in some remote factory. I aim to go back once the baby is born - I don't have room to store things in the flat just now!
I attended the weekly maternity exercise class at the Princess Royal at lunchtime. It's reassuring to know that the exercise I'm doing is appropriate and supervised. The class is a small one, but I've enjoyed the social aspect of meeting other pregnant women. I would recommend it!
After the class, I rushed off to meet with housing, GCSS and LES officers, and my fellow ward Councillor at a site in Barrowfield. Residents have been complaining for some time about fly-tipping, which has reached epic proportions. The site is owned by a private developer, and local people cut across the site as a short cut. It's been a tricky one to resolve, but enforcement officers hope to be able to get the site cleared, and charge the owners accordingly. Owners should take responsibility for their sites, but all too often, they are left for years without any kind of maintenance. The effect of this is a blight on communities; it's completely unfair to those who take care of their properties and try to improve their area.
Attending the class and the site visit meant that I couldn't be at today's Finance and Audit Committee. I'm loathe to miss Committee meetings; over the past three years I think I've only missed one or two and only when it's been completely unavoidable. It's difficult to get so many officers together for a site visit at any one time, so this time the Committee had to take second place.
I headed over to London Road Nursery to hand in some Tesco vouchers for clubs and schools. I try to share around the vouchers I collect, and this year some have also gone to St Anne's Primary and Elba Lane Nursery. It seems to take a lot of vouchers to get anything, so I hope my wee contribution helps a bit. If you have any stashed at the bottom of your handbag, please hand them in to your local school as soon as possible! It was nice to catch up with the head teacher at the Nursery, and see what's been going on since the last time I was in. I was already aware that nusery places are still oversubscribed in this part of Glasgow - as expected, the closure of Queen Mary Street and Mile End have only made this more difficult. I'm not sure how this can be resolved; it's a serious problem for families, especially those who work.
After visiting St Anne's last week, I popped back in again to see their parent-child cookery classes in action. In this pilot programme, parents and children participate in a series of classes, run by staff at the school, which teach them about cooking and nutrition. Basic cookery might sound simple, but many people have never made a meal from scratch, and have little idea what goes into the food they eat. Roasted vegetables, macaroni cheese and muffins were all on the menu tonight; the parents were amazed at how easy, cheap and tasty the meals were, and the children really enjoyed working together with their mums and dads as well as their teachers. I heard from the parents how much they valued the experience, and the staff spoke about the changes they had seen. The course has proved to be an important step for some, and has really broken down the barriers between school and community.
I also heard about the early progress being made by the Triple P programme. It's early days, but from what was said, it sounds as if it's already making an impact on some parents.
I finished my day with a surgery at Dalmarnock Primary. It was quiet tonight, so I got a chance to catch up with emails and prepare for tomorrow. Pretty tired, but it was a really interesting day!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
PEEK show
I was glad to go along to the PEEK AGM and show on Thursday night. Whatever they happen to be doing, PEEK are very professional, and this show was no different.
Held at the Bridge in Easterhouse, the junior and senior theatre groups wowed with their productions of storybook tales and The Red Shoes. The younger children were bright, enthusiastic, and oh-so-cute acting out Going on a Bear Hunt, but the seniors really did take my breath away; different girls played the lead character, Karen, through her journey, but the quality of each was top notch. There were no words spoken by the cast during their performance, but you could see every emotion expressed quite clearly.
Some of those taking part in the show have now been involved in PEEK for several years, and are going on to pastures new - I'd like to wish them all the best.
I hope that PEEK get the chance to take their performances to other audiences - they really were so good, it's a shame to keep it to themselves!
Held at the Bridge in Easterhouse, the junior and senior theatre groups wowed with their productions of storybook tales and The Red Shoes. The younger children were bright, enthusiastic, and oh-so-cute acting out Going on a Bear Hunt, but the seniors really did take my breath away; different girls played the lead character, Karen, through her journey, but the quality of each was top notch. There were no words spoken by the cast during their performance, but you could see every emotion expressed quite clearly.
Some of those taking part in the show have now been involved in PEEK for several years, and are going on to pastures new - I'd like to wish them all the best.
I hope that PEEK get the chance to take their performances to other audiences - they really were so good, it's a shame to keep it to themselves!
St Anne's Emergency Services Day
I was invited along to the Emergency Services day held at St Anne's Primary on Thursday. It was a great day - and it broke down barriers between young people and those in the emergency services.
The Police mounted division were on hand to explain the role played by Police horses - and they impressed by cantering round the playground and demonstrating that the horses wouldn't flinch even when a class of primary children screamed at the tops of their voices!
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue brought along a fire engine, the Traffic Policing section had their car, and the Police Dogs came along in the afternoon. Officers from cycling and GCSS in the council also lent their time and expertise. The pupils had lots of questions, which all involved ably answered.
The most exciting moment came when the Police helicopter flew low over the school - apparently photos were taken too, which I hope to get to see.
Credit should go to PC Daniela Giannoni, who pulled the whole thing together. I got a real sense that the children got a lot out of the event; anything that builds up the relationships between our emergency services and the communities they serve should be commended.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Youth Bank
I attended an event on Monday night to promote the Glasgow East Youth Bank. The Youth Bank is run by young people, for young people - groups can apply for small sums of money for equipment, trips, coaching, hall hire and much much more.
The project started in the Easterhouse area, but now covers the whole of the East End, including my ward. The decisions on who gets funding for what get made by a group of young Grant Makers - a great way of getting young people to understand the difficulties involved in decision making, and encouraging responsibility and accountability to their communties.
Linda, who runs the project is really enthusiastic and keen to see more young people taking up the grants, and getting involved as Grant Makers.
The contact details for Youth Bank are as follows:
Save the Children Offices
The project started in the Easterhouse area, but now covers the whole of the East End, including my ward. The decisions on who gets funding for what get made by a group of young Grant Makers - a great way of getting young people to understand the difficulties involved in decision making, and encouraging responsibility and accountability to their communties.
Linda, who runs the project is really enthusiastic and keen to see more young people taking up the grants, and getting involved as Grant Makers.
The money's there itching to be spent - what are you waiting for?!
The contact details for Youth Bank are as follows:
Linda McGlynn
Young Movers (YOMO)
Youth Bank Coordinator
0141 778 7181
linda@geyouthbank.org.uk
Save the Children Offices 647 Shettleston Road,
Glasgow G32 7EH
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