The Genn issue 151

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Your voice in the community

PROUD TO BE SCOTTISH

Glasgow East and North News

16-17

National Butchers’ Week Support your local butcher

18-19

GENN Cartoons A feature on our new Cartoonists

GENN Motoring Glasgow East and North News

Coming Issue 153 A new monthly motoring pullout to be included email: info@thegenn.co.uk

Next Edition 10th April 2015

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Dr Don’s View The column which cuts through the garnish

32-36

Local Sport With Tom Scott

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The GENN Newspaper was launched because the team recognised the importance of connecting communities with the news.

The aim of THE GENN, is to encourage communities and groups to get more involved in the local news agenda and to collaborate on stories and content ideas. It is about working in association with you, our readers.

“We have always tried to go out into the community, understand what is going on around us and make our own contacts. But, now, we are looking to change the dynamics by giving community groups and organisations access to a low cost events promotion Glasgow East and North News service which we hope will help to encourage people to get more involved with the local news agenda.”

Your voice in the community We have a need to identify different communities, and avoid the trap that other news organisations have fallen into of assuming an ‘audience’ of consumers can be described as a community.

Although a target market might be geographically close, have a combined desire or be striving for a similar objective, the key to defining them is whether or not they are communicating with one another.

The premise behind the GENN is to identify, engage, and then work with communities rather than treat them as mute consumers or sources.

We provide the tools, the platforms, and the inspiration to bring the community’s stories to light, but then not get in the way of that story being told. This is your newspaper delivering your news help support and promote The GENN your voice in the community, all enquires to info@thegenn.co.uk

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GENN Glasgow East and North News

Editor editor@thegenn.co.uk

Dear Editor After reading your preschool young Mums feature in issue 150, I thought I would put pen to paper and write of my experience as a young Mum. As a young girl you pace the floors of your parents home pushing that beloved rag doll in your pink dolls pram. “When I grow up I’m going to be a mummy” you often tell your mother. Lovingly feeding and changing your baby doll you know that having your own babies will be the greatest achievement in the world. And it is, except that you don’t realise the reality until the DAY you become a parent!

Even at 19 when I was 9 months pregnant I had NO idea what I was in for.

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When your expecting your first baby you read all the books, attend all the pre-natal classes and dream of the amazing moment your baby will arrive. You learn how to bath a baby, feed a baby, burp a baby, change a baby. You think you know it all. And then the day comes. Your precious little bundle is placed in your arms and that’s it. No manual to tell you what to do. And you are thrown into a world of sleepless nights (sleep? What’s that?), boobs that feel like they’ve been attacked by piranhas, washing, washing and more washing, trackies and vomit stained shirts (or maybe that’s just 3 day old breast milk). Lovely well wishers that “know it all”. In my case not my mil but my partners nan. (She had 12 kids! I only had one). And of course the number one thing I was not expecting…

Dirty nappies. Yes we all know that these beautiful little creatures eat, sleep, cry and poop. In fact have you ever noticed that a new mother becomes obsessed with poop? What colour, how many times and my favourite (gag) the explosive poops. The ones that seem to be from one and to the other! I remember when my daughter was around three weeks old. I entered her room to be witness to the biggest poop I’ve ever seen. An almost 2 foot long poop! I was about to call my partner in to be witness to the monstrous creation our daughter had done. Then I realised that WAS my daughter! Covered head to toe. 2 packets of wipes, a bath, two towels and a can of air freshener later. I can safely say my daughter and her room were once again back to normal. I on the other hand was changed forever!

Then you hit the terrible twos.

(Though I’m quite certain it’s the terrible two’s, terrible teens and terrible twenty-twos.) You now have a mini version of a police force negotiator. Or is that world champion of the universal debating team? Oh and don’t forget the bartering! Here mum, you have my ball and I’ll take that delicious sandwich you’ve been waiting all day to eat! And if you think the poop business has finished, you’re wrong. So wrong!

Now you have toilet training and if your as lucky as me you may even find the wall painted one day. Nope that’s NOT chocolate.

And it’s for some at this time you think “oh it might be time to have another little poop monster!” And if you’re wondering….

Yes I went on to have three more!

Yep, that’s right. I have four. I now spend every day hearing ” oh my, you have your hands full.How do you cope?” Because don’t you know three is normal. Four or more is just madness!

Being a parent is hard, dirty work. But it’s also the most rewarding and exciting adventure to ever have. Being able to see that sweet innocent smile under a face full of chocolate cake, playing in the garden blowing bubbles, cuddles on the lounge watching “Frozen” for the millionth time. Receiving one of those sweet handmade Mother’s Day gifts that now take up your entire bedside table draws. Hearing “I love you mum” for the very first time. And one of the best tasks.

Tucking those sweet babies into bed at the end of an exciting fun filled day. Holding those sweet little hands and knowing you are blessed to have such beautiful children.

And as they grow you get to watch them blossom into the beautiful people you had hoped they would become. One day it will be their turn to dive into the world of nappies, feeding, washing and debating. But for now you get to enjoy the sleepless nights, the sore boobs, the washing, the maternity clothes that you still wear 12 months later and of course the dreaded poop.

Because its all worth it. Parenting is NOT hard work, dirty yes, challenging yes but not hard work. In fact it’s not WORK at all. You do these thing because you love them.

You wanted them. You treasure them. Good times and bad.

And so get back to watching your little girl pave up and down pushing her little rag doll in her pink dolls pram and lovingly attending to her baby.

She wants to grow up to be a

mummy like you. Because of you.

She knows you take care of her, treasure her and do everything for her out of pure love. And when it’s her turn for her own little poop monster you know she’ll do fine.

Just as you have

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Dear Editor Glasgow football fans urged to sign for Men Unite Having been successfully treated for prostate cancer I was delighted to see that Prostate Cancer UK has teamed up with Motherwell FC for the remainder of the season to raise awareness of the disease. I would like to encourage fans of all Scottish football clubs, including all Glasgow favourites - whether Celtic, Rangers, Partick Thistle or Queens Park - to put traditional football rivalries to one side and join the battle against the common enemy of prostate cancer.

Doing this could not be simpler - join Prostate Cancer UK’s movement for change: Men United. By signing up people will get to see their friends more, do something great together and help beat prostate cancer. Whether it’s big or small, signing a petition or running a marathon, doing it together is what really matters. We want to build a nationwide army - ready to fight for their friends, themselves and men everywhere.

More than 200,000 people have signed up so far, and counting. But we need your help if we are to beat this disease once and for all.

Search ‘Men United,’ or visit prostatecanceruk.org/menunited, to join the growing movement to keep friendships alive.

Sincerely, Neil Armstrong Prostate cancer survivor

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WWII VETERAN CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY MSP for Glasgow, Bob Doris recently visited constituent Tommy Taylor, a hundred year old World War II veteran and Link tenant from Claddens Place, Glasgow.

Tommy celebrated his 100th birthday on the 19th of March along with his family and staff and Link Housing Association’s Claddens Place Sheltered Housing in Parkhouse.

Tommy was an instrument and mechanic with a Major’s Company in WWII and played an instrumental role in the evacuation of Dunkirk over 75 years ago. Tommy was one of

the lucky men who managed to survive this battle that claimed more than 11,000 men’s lives.

This year is the 75 year anniversary of Dunkirk where over 330,000 Allied troops were evacuated in 800 boats between May 26th and June 4th 1940 after the approach of the German army.

Bob lodged a motion to The Scottish Parliament celebrating the life of Tommy, one of Scotland’s oldest war veterans.

He followed this motion up with a visit to Tommy’s house to both congratulate him on

his 100 year milestone and also thank him again for his past service of our country.

Following the visit Bob said: “It was both a pleasure and a privilege to meet Tommy and his family to mark his 100th birthday. Tommy took the time to chat, and it was fascinating listening to him share stories about his colourful and rich life.

I was happy to pass on a bottle of whisky signed by our First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to mark the occasion, and it was wonderful to be part of the day.”

British Science Week Leaps to Possilpark!

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REPTILE and amphibian charity Froglife, hosted a funfilled day of natural science activities in Possilpark last weekend to celebrate British Science Week.

This event formed part of a wider Green Pathways project, funded by The Big Lottery Fund, which encourages young people to take part in positive activities linked to conservation and the environment in their local community.

The event was held at the brand new ‘Back Garden’ site, Killearn Street. Local families got stuck in from the get go; sampling soil for worms, mak-

ing recycled beanbag toads, identifying butterflies and tasting some of the delicious frog-spawn punch!

If that wasn’t enough, residents were then chauffeured by rickshaw to The Claypits – a soon to be Local Nature Reserve – to discover more about the array of wildlife found on their doorstep. This green space provides a home to species including toads, foxes and even roe deer.

Kate Shaw, resident gardener at Concrete Gardens said, “This was a great opportunity to launch the opening of our brand new community garden

and to speak with the community, despite the cold weather we had a great turnout” Lauren Lochrie, Conservation Youth Worker at Froglife and event organiser said “It was a pleasure to engage local people with the unexpected variety of wildlife that’s on their own doorstep – they just have to get out and see for themselves! “ For further information, please reply to: Lauren Lochrie Tel: 0141 339 0737 Mob: 07985 566831 Email: lauren.lochrie@froglife.org

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Easter ‘Health-Wise’ tips

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DR OWL – the memorable and wise character from a national health campaign – will once again take to the skies tthis week urging people in Greater Glasgow and Clyde to take a few simple steps to look after their health this Easter.

Dr Owl was joined by fiveyear-old Freya Cowie from Dunblane and seven-yearold Jack Ozen from South Queensferry at the New Hopetoun Garden Centre to launch this year’s Be HealthWise This Easter campaign.

The campaign, which is run by NHS 24 on behalf of NHSScotland, is reminding people that by making sure they have a supply of over the counter medicines, knowing when their GP surgery is open and checking their repeat prescriptions, they can ensure they make the most of the Easter holiday weekend.

This year many GP surgeries across Scotland will close for four days from Good Friday

(April 3th) to Easter Monday (April 6th), before re-opening on Tuesday 7th April.

After winter, Easter is the busiest time of year for Scotland’s health services. NHS 24 Medical Director Professor George Crooks said: “Easter falls slightly earlier this year and as such, there are still many common illnesses circulating within communities. The Be Health-Wise This Easter campaign wants to remind people of the small steps they can take to ensure illness doesn’t ruin their Easter.

“Being prepared by having enough repeat medication to cover you and having some simple home remedies available can make all the difference if illness strikes. It is also important to plan ahead for any required repeat prescriptions over the Easter break, so please order and collect in good time. We would also remind people of the wide range of health information availa-

ble at NHS inform.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Director of Public Health, Dr Linda de Caestecker, said “Although many GP surgeries will be closed at Easter, hundreds of GPs will be working throughout this period supporting out of hours services. Taking a few simple steps to be ready for the break means illness need not spoil the Easter break.”

General advice and information on how to stay healthy this Easter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.

Ends For more information, please contact Lisa Dransfield on 07796 938 126 The four key steps that Be Health-Wise This Easter recommends this Spring are: Check you have cold and flu remedies Common ailments such as colds can often be effectively treated at home with readily available medicine such as pain relief, cough mixture and cold remedies. Parents are reminded to restock their medicine cabinet with child-friendly remedies.

Use your local pharmacy Your pharmacist can offer advice or help if you need over-the-counter remedies or have run out of any prescribed medication. You can also pick up plasters and antiseptic creams to prepare for any minor accidents.

Make sure you have enough repeat prescription.

If you or someone you care for requires medicines regularly, make sure you order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time to ensure you have enough medicine to last over the holiday period. Only order what you need.

Know when your GP surgery will be open Your local doctor’s surgery may be closed for four days during the Easter weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday (April 3th- April 6th).

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East End youngsters show off their sporting talents at Legacy Games

EAST End schoolkids were going for gold at this year’s FARE Legacy Games.

The FARE Legacy Games previously known as the Mini Commonwealth Games - saw more than 900 pupils from 26 primary schools take part in a range of sports.

The event, held at the prestigious Emirates Arena, is now in its twelfth year - but was renamed as a way to build a lasting legacy from the Games for young people in the city.

The Legacy Games are organised by the charity Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse (FARE) as part of its work with

young people in the East End, in partnership with GHA. Young athletes competed in a range of events – including the 60m, long jump, javelin and shot putt – and had some fun into the bargain.

Andy Ashcroft, GHA’s North East Area Director, officially opened the event and Gordon Sloan, GHA Chair was on hand to present the medals to the winning schools.

Jimmy Wilson, FARE Services Manager, said: “The Legacy Games are always really enjoyable.

“They are a great way of integrating the young people

before they move on to secondary school - but it’s also about them having an enjoyable day regardless of sporting ability.

“It was really exciting for the young people to use this magnificent sporting arena right on their doorstep.”

Andy Ashcroft, GHA’s North East Area Director, said: “We want to encourage young people in our communities to take part in sport and the Legacy Games are a great way of doing that.

“The young people who took part were really enthusiastic and I’d like to thank the schools and FARE for making it such a fantastic day.

“Events like this help us create a lasting legacy from the Commonwealth Games in the city.”

A total of 90 medals were presented on the day, including prizes for sportsmanship, and all the children who took part received a certificate of participation.

The overall prize was won by Garrowhill Primary School, while St Timothy’s Primary won the Bob Holman Award for sportsmanship.

5 FLASH MOB HELPS DREAMS COME TRUE A CHOIR of 200 singers gave shoppers a show to remember during a charity event at St. Enoch Centre.

The choir, who appeared on Saturday March 21, raised over £500 for Dreams Come True. The charity aims to fulfill the dreams of children and young people with serious or life-limiting conditions across the UK. Singing a selection of songs, including Clean Bandit’s Rather Be, the choir both entertained shoppers and raised money for a fantastic cause.

Chris Jewell, local co-ordinator for Dreams Come True, said: “Flash mobs are a great way of supporting us. The Centre staff have been very happy to do another flash mob for us and we are grateful to them for getting behind this one. And thanks to all who made a donation to help make more dreams come true.

“Fulfilling a dream can help a child or young person to think beyond their illness or disability and focus on something highly positive and empowering. The experience has proved to create amazing everlasting memories for the child and the entire family in most cases.”

Dreams Come True to helps fulfil lifelong ambitions for affected families. The charity facilitates everything from meeting a pop star to providing

wheelchairs.

Chris added: “There is no average dream as all dreams are unique and personal to the child or young adult and can equate to anything from an experience, a piece of equipment that might aid independence, mobility or communication with family, educational needs or just bring some joy and happy times.

“Dreams may include meeting a child’s hero or having a break away for the family to just enjoy some quality time together, as quality time is precious for these families.

Dreams can be fully funded by the charity or in many cases come at a vastly reduced cost depending on sponsorship or the organisations who assist with the delivery of the dream. Anyone can nominate a young person for a dream on

the homepage of the Dreams Come True website www. dreamscometrue.uk.com.”

Rock Choir leader Jennifer Sim, said: “I’m delighted to have done this event and help a really wonderful children’s charity to make more dreams come true. We had 200 singers participating from across Glasgow and Inverclyde and they were really pleased to be able to take part.”

Anne Ledgerwood, General Manager of St. Enoch Centre, said: “I’m proud of St. Enoch Centre’s record for hosting charity events and consider it a privilege to be able to support Dreams Come True.

“The charity provides such a valuable service in helping youngsters with life limiting conditions and all the performers put on a great show for shoppers in the Centre.”

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Squirrel Spotters wanted FANS of rare red squirrels are being urged to upload details of any sightings to a new website.

Campaign chiefs at Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) are calling on the public to help out and report the locations of any red or grey squirrels they have spotted whilst out and about.

Over 75% of the UK’s red squirrel population live in Scotland The site, www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk, also has video,

blogs and information about red squirrels.

It features a map showing where the elusive animals have been seen.

The site has been re-launched and improvements mean GPS data can be logged when people use mobile devices to upload sightings.

Mel Tonkin, project manager for SSRS, said: “ I would urge people to continue to report squirrels in each new area they encounter each year. The update

TEEN DRINKING DOWN THERE is a distinct downward trend in teenage drinking habits.

The most recent statistics, which was last collected in 2013 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), include: • An 11% decrease in young Brits bingeing once a week (29% to 18%) • A slight increase, to 27%, of tee-totalers in the age group • And a two-thirds fall in ‘frequent’ drinking by young adults.

This poses a key question: why?

One of the central factors identified by many commentators is a rising proportion of religiosity within the national youth demographic.

Just over 7% of young people in the UK are Muslims or Sikhs, religions which largely forbid alcohol consumption.

The Alcohol Health Alliance, places much emphasis on this factor. Whilst the average level of consumption has fallen, this may be in part due to the change in the ethnic make-up of the country with many people abstaining from drinking altogether.

There is a geographical correlation between low levels of problem drinking and high immigration levels. For example, a third of South East UK are teetotal, whilst only 17% of people in Scotland - which has a smaller immigrant population which abstain from drink.

But the unavoidable reality is that this factor can surely by definition only account for 7% of young Britain’s teetotalers: what about the other 20%, and those who only

drink infrequently?

A prominent factor most relevant to students is economic: a fortune spent on vodka, beer and club entry does not sit well, for example, with £9,000 in annual tuition fees.

Many students only go out for special occasions such as Halloween, Christmas and birthdays as they simply cannot afford to go out more.

In fact, coffee is increasingly proving to be a viable alternative to alcohol, with some university bars closing for lack of business as a result of students’ preference to visit coffee houses.

Thirdly, there is the factor of traumatising bad previous experiences. From hangovers to stomach-pumps, alcohol is capable of wreaking havoc on one’s body, and just like with many drugs, especially Ecstasy, a teenager might suffer such a life-threat effect in one instance that they vow never to touch the stuff again.

A sub-point to this idea is the trauma of other people’s bad experiences..

Another suggested factor involves change, both technological and cultural.

In 2005 - the year to which the ONS’s statistics have been mostly compared - the iPhone had not yet been invented, Facebook had not been launched, and the Xbox 360 had only just been released.

Drinking levels were higher amongst young adults in this year than in the years since.

Young people spend more time at home using social media and less time down the pub or hanging around the bus shelter with their mates.

North East Sector Glasgow City CHP Public Partnership Forum Executive Group Meeting 9th of April 2015 Glasgow Kelvin College, Haghill Campus 6.30pm till 8.30pm

is very user-friendly and means sightings can be recorded as soon as someone spots a red or grey squirrel.

“There are always gaps in our records so to create the most ac-

curate picture of squirrel populations we need many more.

Since the start of the online recording page in 2010, SSRS has received around 10,000 reports of red and grey squirrels.

These are vital in enabling the project to monitor changes in squirrel distributions over a much wider area.

Since 1952, 95% of red squirrels in England and Wales have been wiped out. Today, 75% of the UK’s remaining population is found in Scotland.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project between the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, and the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.

BEER AND FOOD FESTIVAL PAISLEY’S ever-popular beer festival is back for another year – and this year it’s being served up with a side order of food.

The 28th Paisley Beer Festival will be in Paisley Town Hall from Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 April.

The event is Scotland’s biggest real ale festival and every year attracts thousands from across the country to sample a wide selection of real beers, ales and ciders.

And this year for the first time it will run alongside a one-day food festival – organised by Renfrewshire Council – on the Saturday only.

Both events are taking place as part of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, supported by Event Scotland and Visit Scotland, which aims to showcase Scotland’s outstanding natural larder and exceptional natural produce.

The food festival will be in Abbey Close between noon and 6pm and includes the Slug in a Bottle Market, food/craft workshops, live music from Loud ‘n’ Proud, and kids’ entertainment including TV’s Mr Bloom.

Focusing on quality Scottish produce, the food festival also includes the usual twice-monthly Paisley Farmers’ Market just up the road at Paisley Cross, where visitors will be able to take in live cookery demos.

Meanwhile, the beer festival will take in a first of its own, with Renfrewshire CAMRA

having added an all-new wine bar featuring speciality wines from across Scotland.

Annique Armstrong, regional director for VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted to support Paisley Beer Festival this year with funding from Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink.

“Hopefully the funding will help enhance this festival, which is a great event that aims to attract both locals and visitors to the area and is just one in this year’s calendar throughout the whole of Scotland.

“Food and drink plays an important role in the visitor experience, with £1 in every £5 being spent on it so I’d like to wish Paisley Beer Festival every success!

The backdrop will be a programme of music and entertainment, pop-up shops, outdoor markets, workshops and more.

Celebrate the finest Scottish produce • Live cookery demos, • Taster stations run by local businesses, • A pop-up restaurant, • Food and craft workshops.

Plus live music and street entertainment in and around Abbey Close, while the regular twice-monthly Paisley Farmers’ Market will take place at nearby Paisley Cross.

This event is taking place as part of Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015, which celebrates the country’s outstanding natural larder and produce.

FINAL CALL FOR STUDENT FUNDING APPLICATIONS

THE Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) has issued the final call for all outstanding applications to be completed and submitted by students ahead of the 31 March 2015 deadline to ensure their needs for student funding, including tuition fees for the current academic year (2014-15) are met.

With less than two weeks until the final deadline it is estimated there are up to one thousand students, who may still have to apply for their student funding and risk receiving no funding support.

Chief Executive, David Wallace, commented: “All students need to apply if they wish to receive financial support, including payment of their tuition fees, from SAAS. I urge all students who haven’t already done so to get their applications in now, before it’s too late.

“Funding for students is incredibly important and there are many students out there who may still be eligible. Which is why it is vital outstanding applications are completed ac-

curately and by the 31 March deadline to ensure all funding is paid. We recommend students visit our website and complete their online applications or call our designated helpline for further assistance.

Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning said “ The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring our students receive the right level of funding to help them succeed in their academic careers. However, the importance of getting an accurate application form in on time cannot be understated and I would urge everyone to make the most of this opportunity.”

SAAS is responsible for giving financial support to over 150,000 Scottish students studying in higher education throughout the UK. Students must visit www.saas.gov.uk by the 31 March 2015 and complete their online application or call the helpline on 0300 555 0505 if they have any questions or are having difficulties filling out their form.

Tartan Triumph!

FORMER Glasgow Kelvin College student, Siobhan Mackenzie, triumphed at the Greyfriars Tartan awards in Edinburgh last week!

Siobhan, from The Black Isle, achieved her 1st Class BA (Hons) Fashion Design at the College (accredited by Manchester Metropolitan University) last year and, accomplishing a very successful internship with Glenisla Kilts, has gone on to set up her own fabulous design company, Siobhan Mackenzie, which gives a creative and inventive twist to tartan and traditional highland dress.

The Greyfriars Tartan design competition set out to challenge the traditional look asking fashion designers to use Greyfriars tartan to create a garment with the fabric. The tartan was created in 2011 by Paul Moffat, a member of the Grassmarket Community Project.

The social enterprise works with vulnerable locals to develop new skills, gain self confidence and become more employable. The Greyfriars Tartan Design competition was held last month with designers from around the world, as well as local talent, submitting their style visions. The awards took place

Come along and find out how you can have your say on Local Health Services Contact Tony Devine on 0141 232 0169

during Edinburgh Fashion Week where the 26 submissions were showcased on the catwalk, and Siobhan walking away with the first prize of £1000.

Her proud tutors were there to witness her triumph and congratulate her in person. Siobhan says, “It was an honour to win the award as all the finalists’ work was fantastic and it was a great experience. To take home the award was so significant to me as the brief was to put a new spin on tartan - which is what the aim of my company is therefore it made perfect sense to enter.

“It meant the world to have my former lecturers attend and support me. Although I have graduated from the College I will always be so grateful for the fantastic education I received and keep in touch with those who provided me with that.”

Everyone at Glasgow Kelvin College is extremely proud of Siobhan’s achievement and looks forward to watching her continue to develop in her successful career in fashion design.

A fabulous achievement for her, and for her talented tutors!

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Glasgow Forge hosts Red Nose Day bonanza

SPECSAVERS staff at the Glasgow Forge hosted a weekend of fun filled activities in support of Red Nose Day. Specsavers in The Forge Shopping Centre enjoyed a redthemed weekend of fundraising in a bid to raise money for Comic Relief. Customers entered a raffle and were encouraged to vote for staff who were ‘Making Their Faces Funny’ in return for a cash donation towards the appeal.

Staff also dressed down and donned red attire in support of the charity. A face painter was on-hand to entertain the children along with a visit from some popular children’s characters.

Angela Lucas, store director at Specsavers Forge, says: ‘We had customers and visitors to the store involved in the fun as much as possible and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of them donning their Red Nose Day glasses in the coming days to support of

the cause.’

‘The staff hosted a fantastic fundraising day in support of Red Nose Day and raised more than £350 on Saturday alone.’

Specsavers Glasgow Forge has joined Specsavers stores nationwide to support Comic Relief to help poor and vulnerable people living tough lives both here in the UK and across Africa.

From painting their faces to donning the Specsavers funny specs millions of people up and down the country made their faces funny and raised life changing cash on Red Nose Day. The money raised through Red Nose Day helps poor and vulnerable people living incredibly tough lives both here in the UK and across Africa.

To book an appointment at Specsavers in The Glasgow Forge call 0141 550 5140 or visit http://www.specsavers.co.uk/ stores/glasgowforge.

Fear of Pet Theft on the Rise SHETTLESTON Energy Advice (Funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund) is based in Shettleston Housing Association and has been running for three years.

During this time the team has reached out to over 600 Shettleston households through home energy visits, new tenant visits and office visits. Some of those households engaged with Energy Advisors, Angela or Evelyn, on several occasions which proved necessary to ensure their issues were concluded.

In the first year Shettleston Energy Advice helped 92 householders apply for the Warm Home Discount, with over £11,362 of payments received. Over the following two winters many householders were able to apply for this payment on their own, though the team continued to assist those requiring help and publicised the scheme at every opportunity.

One resident who benefited from a home visit after her house had undergone insulated render treatment,

calculated she had saved 12% on her fuel bills after making simple energy saving changes like turning down radiator TRVs, reducing the time her heating was on, turning down the thermostat and not using her electric blanket.

Many of the residents visited were not aware of the best way to control their heating and some even had their heating on when it wasn’t needed.

During a home energy visit, the SEA team would discuss the best way to run the heating, advise on thermostats (if necessary) and set the boiler to eco setting (if available).

All these measures helped towards lower fuel bills and a cosier home.

The team also accompanied housing officers as they carried out settling in visits to new tenants. Some tenants were moving into their first tenancy and the SEA team’s help got them into good energy saving habits from the start. Tenants with pay as you go meters especially benefited from these visits as these meters sometimes have previous debt on them or other issues that need addressed.

The SEA project is as much about reducing people’s carbon footprint as it is about reducing their fuel bills. With this in mind SEA advisors took every opportunity to advise householders on ways to save energy – and the planet.

The Project Co-ordinator, Angela Tyrrell, said “The SEA team are proud to have equipped Shettleston householders with the tools to understand their meters and their fuel bills, enabling them to make money saving tariff or supplier switches and to offer support to those making energy saving behavioural changes”.

Angela is delighted to announce they will be in post for a further year, having been awarded additional funding by the Climate Challenge Fund.

“We will be delivering some new programmes to help save energy, though we will still deal with a smaller number of visits for anyone that needs further help to reduce their energy consumption or help with fuel debt”.

Residents living in Shettleston can contact the SEA team on 0141 763 0511.

Nine out of ten dog owners fear for their pet’s safety 51% of dogs stolen are never found or recovered Staffordshire Bull Terriers identified as most at risk MORE than nine out of ten dog owners fear their beloved pet may be stolen, and a similar number believe that the only effective deterrent in preventing dog thefts is mandatory imprisonment for convicted offenders.

In a survey of 5,000 dog owners by online pet medication and food retailer VioVet, 98% of respondents were worried that their dog could be stolen and 96% perceive that the number of dogs stolen in the last 12 months has risen.

Pet Theft Awareness Week, show that 125 dogs have been stolen in the last 12 months but only five of those thefts resulted in the criminal being caught and convicted. More than half (51%) of dogs that are stolen are never found or returned.

The most popular breeds to be targeted are Staffordshire

Bull Terriers (10%), Spaniels (10%) German Shepherds (8%) and Labrador Retrievers (6%).

More than half (54%) of all dogs stolen are taken from the home or a kennel, a worrying trend, with almost a quarter (21%) stolen when out walking or when the animal is tied up outside a shop. A small proportion of dogs (6%) are taken from cars.

Of those whose dogs have been stolen, almost half (48%) believe that their pet was taken to be sold for profit or for breeding, and an alarming 18% for use in dog fighting or baiting.

In terms of the measures owners take to protect their dogs, most (78%) never leave their dogs unattended whilst out or in the garden. A small

percentage (8%) have CCTV installed and only 2% say that they do not currently take any measures to keep their animals safe.

In the UK dogs are seen in official circles as inanimate objects of no greater importance than a wheelbarrow or an iPad, and this has to change.

Dogs are considered by more than 99% of those surveyed as part of the family, and as such pet theft needs to be taken more seriously.

The survey and campaign coincides with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to nine major police forces across the country that suggests that 91% of ALL pets (including dogs, cats, fish and birds) that are stolen are never returned.

8

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Big Partnership for Welfare Project SCOTTISH Labour Leader Jim Murphy and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves visited ng homes earlier this week to hear about the Big Partnership for Welfare project.

The project received almost £1M from the Big Lottery to help people throughout Glasgow to get help and support to improve their financial skills and access bank accounts and affordable loans.

As lead partner North Glasgow based ng homes will manage the three year Glasgow Big Partnership for Welfare Project which will benefit tenants who are experiencing financial exclusion and difficulties.

Ann Marie Devlin, Depute CEO of ng homes said: “Over the past few years we have offered money advice in our offices and with the Big Partnership for Welfare Project we will be able to reach more families on low incomes and help them to improve their financial skills.”

Chairperson of ng homes John Fury said: “It was a great opportunity to make our elected representatives aware of the work going on across North Glasgow.”

Mr Murphy and Ms Reeves were accompanied to Saracen House by local MP William Bain who said: “I really appreciate the work that ng homes do in my constituency, they are more than just a housing association and I know from speaking to people in the community how much they have been helped by the various projects ng homes runs in North Glasgow.”

At the event both Labour politicians made speeches with Ms Reeves stating that a UK Labour Government would abolish the bedroom tax and Mr Murphy announcing a £175M Scottish Anti-Poverty Fund would be created with the money saved from the abolition of the bedroom tax.

Springburn (East)

Email: info@nghomes.net

Ned Donaldson House, 50 Reidhouse Street Springburn, Glasgow. G21 4LS Tel 0141 560 6000 Fax 0141 560 6005

Website: www.nghomes.net @ng_homes

ng homes is a trading name of North Glasgow Housing Association

Possilpark (West) Saracen House, 139 Saracen Street, Possilpark, Glasgow, G22 5AZ Tel 0141 336 1300 Fax 0141 560 6005

9

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Hear to Help Sheltered Housing Tenants SHELTERED Housing tenants of ng homes took part in a hearing aid maintenance clinic recently run by Action on Hearing Loss at Barloch Street in Possilpark.

still able to play an active role in their families and their communities. Hear to Help provides the support to ensure that people do get the best from their hearing aids, enabling them to remain connected active and in many cases independent.

Action on Hearing Loss Scotland is the charity working to meet the needs and aspirations of people across Scotland who are deaf or have diagnosed hearing loss or tinnitus by ensuring their life choices are not limited.

At the clinic tenants were provided with new batteries and replacement tubing for their hearing aids. Tuning and volume controls were also checked and advice was given on how to use and get the best out of hearing aids.

Sheltered Housing Manager Karen Johnson said: “Our tenants really appreciated Action on Hearing Loss Scotland coming to Barloch Street. The maintenance checks and advice given means tenants are getting the best out of their hearing aids and its also saved them a trip to the local hospital.”

The residents certainly appreciated the clinic with Mrs Sheila Nicoll declaring: “This is a good service” and Mr Jimmy Thompson saying: “A great service, if we could have this on a regular basis it would be brilliant.”

Chairperson of ng homes John Fury said: “We are always looking at ways to make our

sheltered tenants lives that bit easier and its pleasing to hear that they were delighted by the wonderful service provided by Action on Hearing Loss Scotland.”

Katy Green, Project Co-ordinator for Action on Hearing loss said: Hearing loss , and its impact, seriously affects people’s lives. Making sure hearing aids are well maintained can go a long way to ensuring that those people are

Their Hear to Help service delivers community-based support and advice to people experiencing difficulties with NHS hearing aids.

For more information about Action on Hearing Loss Scotland: Telephone: 0141 341 5330 Email: scotland@hearingloss.org.uk Like us on Facebook.com/Action on Hearing Loss Scotland Follow us on: Twitter: @hearinglosssco

Martin is Apprentice of the Year James Watt College whilst working the rest of the week in North Glasgow.

At college Martin has studied preparation to wall surfaces, applied finishing coats of paint, wallpapering and decorative studies.

MARTIN Bird, an apprentice painter with ng2 has been honoured for his hard work and commitment to his studies by James Watt College in Greenock earning the award of apprentice painter and decorator of the year.

The young apprentice, 25, started work as a trainee with social enterprise company ng2 back in 2010 and worked as an Estate Services Operative with duties including close cleaning, backcourt tidy ups, litter picking and bulk uplift.

Martin was soon promoted to ng2’s painting division and grasped the opportunity to learn his trade as an apprentice 2 days per week at

ng2 400 Petershill Road, Springburn, Glasgow, G21 4AA Tel: 0141 630 4252

and decorating. Martin has been a pleasure to teach and has gone from strength to strength.”

Martin, a local man and also a tenant of ng homes starts his third year at the college in the autumn and his supervisor at ng2 Robert Readie said: “I am delighted for Martin, he works hard and he deserves this recognition.

He will soon be fully qualified and that will be another great achievement for him, we are really pleased with his progress.”

Chairperson of ng2 Margaret Thomson said: “Its always great to see our employees doing well and I congratulate Martin on his hard work in being awarded Apprentice of the Year by his college.”

Painting and Decorating Lecturer at James Watt college, Andrew Neeson said, “Each year at the Greenock campus we recognise and award two students who have incessantly excelled throughout the academic year; producing work to an extremely high standard and to every task given. Martin was awarded 2nd year apprentice of the year after displaying a natural ability for both painting

Email: info@ng2works.com

Website: www.ng2works.com

ng2 is a subsidiary of ng homes

ng in the community

Saracen House, 139 Saracen Street, Possilpark, Glasgow, G22 5AZ Tel 0141 336 1300 Fax 0141 560 6005

10 EXERCISE TO EXTEND YOUR LIFE UNIVERSITY research has found that exercise is crucial in the longevity of human life and more important than obesity in terms of causing avoidable deaths.

A quick 20-minute walk each day can be effective in avoiding an early death following a study of over 334,000 people in a 12year period which revealed the importance of exercise compared with bodyweight. The participants of this research had an average age of 50 and had their waist sizes, weight and height measured.

Physical inactivity contributed to double the number of deaths (334,000) among European males because of obesity, highlighting how necessary it is to regularly exercise. Other research has found that little exercise is related to getting heart disease and cancer.

A Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The research suggests that just a modest increase in physical activity can have health benefits. Adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, carrying it out in sessions of 10 minutes or more.”

Walking for just 20 minutes in a brisk manner can cut approximately 100 calories which further underlines the impact of doing this simple form of activity. Exercise should be prioritised into daily routines.

Findings show that just 20 minutes exercise would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this - physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life.

Exercise proven to improve your mood and reduce stress, it also helps keep your heart and other vital organs healthy.

Walking does not cost anything, but is an easy method of exercising every day of your life.

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College Goes Global !!

GLASGOW Kelvin College has taken its garment design and community engagement activities to an international dimension through a successful bid to UKIERI (UK India Education Research Initiative).

Funded by the UK and Indian Governments, UKIERI aims to enhance educational links between India and the UK. This particular community project brings together Glasgow Kelvin College, the only Scottish college to be awarded this funding, and the Government Polytechnic for Women (GPW) in Gujjanagundla (Andhra Pradesh). The year-long partnership is based around a fashion and garment design programme, reflecting the teaching strengths of both colleges.

Glasgow Kelvin College and the GPW share many similarities in that both work extensively in deprived communities and deliver a curriculum that reflects these communities’ needs. The Polytechnic is highly community focused and works mainly with mothers of young families from deprived rural backgrounds.

The UKIERI funded partnership will explore learners’ entrepreneurial talents and, working together on a garment

design brief, students from both colleges will fuse the culture and design influences from Scotland and India, exchanging new ideas and new techniques.

Paisley Pattern is a world famous design that has its origins in both India and Scotland. It is hoped that this iconic fash-

ion emblem will form the basis of the learning journey between the two colleges.

Both groups of learners will be accredited with an SQA qualification and student and staff exchanges will enrich the learning experience of both colleges.

MARIE CURIE BOOST MARIE Curie Cancer Care provides care and support for more than 7,000 people living with a terminal illness, and their families, in Scotland each year. Their nurses provide free care to people in their own homes and in their hospices in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Great Daffodil Appeal raises awareness and funds to help Marie Curie continue provide this support. Every year thousands of people across Scotland support the appeal by

simply giving a small donation and wear a daffodil pin. The money Marie Curie raised in Scotland in 2014 funded over 30,000 hours of nursing care and emotional support.

The work of Marie Curie provides a vital and essential service for some of the most vulnerable individuals and families in Glasgow and beyond.

Palliative care, nursing, and a range of other high quality services make a huge difference to the quality of life, not just for

those nearing the end of life but for others living with life limiting conditions.

Richard Meade, Head of Policy and Public Affairs said: The hospice cares for over 500 patients a year in the hospice and over 4,500 patients in the community. With the support of our local MSPs we can promote the excellent work of the hospice as well as inform policy and parliamentary activity to improve care for people with a terminal illness.

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(L-R): Healthcare Assistant, Rosemary Young, Bob Doris MSP, Staff Nurses Morag MacDonald and Sarah Speirs

Alastair McGhee: Business Development Director at Glasgow Kelvin College said: “The UKIERI programme is a fantastic example of how a funded programme can generate strong and sustainable partnerships between Indian and Scottish educational insti-

tutions. It offers unparalleled mutual learning opportunities for learners and staff in both countries and is an extremely powerful mechanism for establishing new contacts and opportunities.”

Anne Wood: Senior Curriculum Manager at Glasgow Kelvin College said; “This is an exciting venture for the students and staff to work together and learn new skills to enhance the Fashion curriculum at Glasgow Kelvin College and expose both sets of learners to new cultures and new ideas.”

President of the Students’ Association at Glasgow Kelvin College, Andrew Aitken, agreed “Glasgow Kelvin College Students’ Association is delighted to support this programme and very much looks forward to welcoming our Indian partners to the College.

This is a unique opportunity for learners of both countries to come together with a common learning purpose, while at the same time strengthening the links between our communities.”

Anne and Alastair are pictured here with a group of enthusiastic young learners from a local secondary school during their recent visit to India.

Future Fund for Glasgow’s Young People GLASGOW Labour MSP Anne McTaggart has welcomed Scottish Labour’s Future Fund – a new deal for Scotland’s young people, announced by Jim Murphy at Scottish Labour conference.

The Future Fund will invest £1600 for every 18 or 19 year old in Glasgow who isn’t currently at university, college or in a modern apprenticeship.

The money will be available to invest in relevant training, setting up a business, or buying work tools.

The fund will also act as a powerful incentive to employers to take on young people as they will come with £1,600 of training support.

Ms McTaggart said: “This fund is an incredible opportunity for the young people of Glasgow. For too long our young people who aren’t in education or training have been ignored by governments in Westminster and Holyrood.

“This investment will let young people set their own path in life, giving them the money they need to invest in their future and become masters of their own destiny.

“Scottish Labour are the only party committed to helping Scotland’s young people make the most of their potential.”

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy said: “Parents worry that their kids won’t have the chances they had when they were growing up. That the next generation’s horizons have become more narrow, more limited.

“Young Scots in Higher Education get an average of £1600 spent on their fees.

“But what of those thousands who don’t go to university, or who don’t get an investment through a place at college or an apprenticeship?

“They shouldn’t get left behind. They deserve the same support to fulfil their potential.

“We want to redress the balance to help those young people who want to enter the world of work straight from school.

“The Future Fund will also act as a powerful incentive to employers to take on young people who come with £1,600 of training support attached to them.”

11

GENN WHETHER it’s for a quiet drink in a relaxed environment, food with the family or a night of Cocktails the Real McCoy Aim to accommodate all.

We cater for large and small functions and our friendly staff are always happy to help.

Keep an eye out for our family events, since 2015 we have had plenty to keep us busy with a “Frozen, family funday” and many more family orientated events coming up soon. We’ve also put on more events for customers such as psychic nights, tribute acts and dinner

and dance nights.

Situated in the centre of the successful 2014 Commonwealth Games opposite the “Chris Hoy Velodrome,” Commonwealth Village and Parkhead Stadium we show all the major sporting events on our four big TV’s and projector screen.

Our two in house Chefs offer a variety of delicious meals from classics such as Steak and Ale Pie and Fish and Chips to Katsu Curry and Pulled Pork with many more to choose from. All you would have to

worry about is your choice of Desserts. As the food has been well received we now keep the kitchen open later and on weekends we have live music so there’s no excuses not to take us at our word when we say the food is delicious! Our popular Carvery runs on Sundays (unless it’s match day) offering roast meats with all the trimmings and after all of this what better way to finish with a cup of tea or coffee.

So please pop in and say hello we are bound to greet you with a smile!

Craft Beers - Fine Wines - Good Food Great Drinks - Live Music

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NEW NAME FOR CARE HOME LOCAL Care Home, Nithsdale House (620 Shields Road, Glasgow, Glasgow City G41 2RD) is delighted to announce that they are formally changing their name to Rowandale Nursing Home.

In 2013 Nithsdale House (formally Nithsdale Lodge) became part of Forth Care Ltd, under the directive of

owner Colin Smart, who has been building and managing care homes for over 30 years.

Since becoming part of Forth Care our home has underwent a variety of wide-ranging refurbishments including an extensive health and safety overhaul and the installation of a modern nurses call system to ensure resi-

dents safety.

The home also enjoyed an up-grade in décor and furnishings together with dementia approved signage to support resident orientation.

Our residents, relatives, staff and owner Mr Smart now feel it is time to move Nithsdale House forward even further by re-naming the

home.

The purpose of the re-naming is to give us all a fresh, new start.

We feel that with all the skill, dedication and team work that has gone into the refurbishment of Nithsdale we can now as a family, move forward into 2015 with a brighter, better future ahead.

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12 FAMILY SUPPORT IN NORTH GLASGOW

MSP for Glasgow, Bob Doris recently visited Maryhill based charity, Home Start, who works with families across North West and North East Glasgow to provide them with a variety of essential supports.

The organisation is driven by volunteers, who are typically parents themselves, which work with individual families, getting to know them and providing some additional support, advice or simply a friendly ear when they need it.

Nikki O’Hara, Team Manager at Home Start North Glasgow, commented on their work: ‘Over the last year we are pleased to have been able to support 108 families in the North of Glasgow. Our dedicated volunteers provide peer support and develop trusting relationships with families, helping them increase in confidence and resilience.

Weekly visits from volunteers provide families with a listening ear and support with parenting whilst families are

experiencing a difficult time in their lives. ‘ After touring the Home Start North Glasgow centre, Bob met with Nikki O’Hara and Frances Goldman Bob discussed the excellent work Home Start does, as well as looking at some of the financial challenges facing the organisation.

Specifically, Bob discussed the current barrier preventing

organizations, like Home Start North Glasgow, from securing grant funding from Glasgow City Council. In the weeks prior to his visit, Bob put forth a motion to the Scottish Parliament encouraging members to support him in his endeavours to secure more accessible funding for organizations like Home Start North Glasgow from Glasgow City Council.

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COMEDIAN PERFORMS IN GLASGOW

FRESH from a successful full run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014 comedian Gary Little is set to have audiences in venues all over Scotland crying with laughter.

Gary is one of the most consistent and funniest acts in Scottish comedy and is recognised as a master storyteller.

In his brand new show for his Scottish Spring 2015 tour he talks death, love, dog walking etiquette and dying hair. Gary’s ability to turn mundane everyday experiences into pure comedy gold makes him a favourite among audiences.

However it is not only audiences that praise Gary, comedian Kevin Bridges claimed that

Gary’s stand up was “some of the best he’s seen”.

Gary’s humour is honest, refreshing and inyer-face with a wealth of material derived from a life lived to the full. With a post-graduate from the University of Hard Knocks, Gary has been round the block many more times than his audience Testament to Gary’s talent is the fact he has sold out two years in a row (2013, 2014) at the Glasgow International comedy festival and even had to add an extra three dates due to popular demand.

Gary burst on to the stand-up scene in 2003 after he made the final of the Daily Record/The Stand Comedy club talent search. Spotted The Stand Comedy Club bookers, Gary got on the fast track to performing at the club.

Within a year, Gary’s act was instantly successful and he began picking up bookings all over the country; moving up the bill in his native land, as well as gigs in the Middle East. A debut full length solo show at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival followed next March.

Now Gary headlines regularly at The Stand and clubs throughout the UK, and is on the roster for the Best of Scottish Comedy showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

This big-man is a sure-fire hit and is not to be missed. Glasgow shows 27/03 : Cottiers – Glasgow 30/04 : The Stand - Glasgow

Red Nose Day Bake Off Toasts TAKE TO THE SEAS IN SCOTLAND Care Home Award Success RESIDENTS and staff at The Oaks (Baillieston), a residential home providing care services for people with mental health problems, have been celebrating award success with a special Red Nose Day bake off.

Meallmore Ltd, owner of The Oaks, was the proud recipient of the ‘Nutrition and Eating Well’ award at the Scottish Care Home Awards and was selected from more than 300 entries.

The bake off event, which raised £128.18 for the projects supported by Red Nose Day, included a walking bingo challenge, a coffee afternoon and evening karaoke session.

To recognise the part that each home played in the award success, the trophy is following a Scotland-wide tour of the company’s care homes to allow as many staff and residents to share in the celebrations as possible.

Julie Stevenson, Care Home Manager at The Oaks, said: “Investing time in getting to know what our residents want and like gives us a starting point for our menu planning.

We then put our expertise and passion to work to help complete the package.

“Every meal is then prepared using fresh, locally sourced in-

gredients by our highly trained chefs and catering teams. This prestigious award recognises the hard work and commitment shown across all the care homes in the Meallmore group and recognises that serving nutritious healthy meals should continue to be a stimulating experience.”

Since opening its first care home, Meallmore Lodge in Inverness in 1987, Meallmore has grown to become one of Scotland’s leading providers of private residential nursing and dementia care. The company has22 care homes across Scotland including three which specialise in caring for those with mental health problems.

The company has created a sustainable business, through difficult economic times, being able to re-invest in the homes, build new state-of-the art care homes and being at the forefront of innovative technology to ensure clients have the best of care and staff have a working environment fit for purpose.

As well as winning the ‘Nutrition and Eating Well’ award, the company’s Greenock-based Care Home, Kincaid House, took the ‘Dementia Service Award.’ Meallmore was also shortlisted in the Specialist Adult Service Care award category and the Ancillary and Support Staff award category for its Inverness based homes.

SEA kayaking has become a very popular pastime activity in recent years.

Especially in Scotland where you would find some of the finest sea kayaking in Europe. Scotland is also home to the only long distance sea kayaking trail in Europe.

Therefore it is not surprising that it has also become one of the top destinations for sea kayaking holidays.

Unexplored Scotland, has announced some more exciting tours for the 2015 summer season.

One of these is an adventurous sea kayaking tour along the Scottish sea kayaking trail taking participants from the busy harbour town of Oban to Mallaig. Oban has some of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Scotland and is for most people known as the gateway to Mull.

This would be also true for the tour Unexplored Scotland provides.

The Lord of the Isles tour will take people to the beautiful Isle of Mull, which is rich in sea wildlife and one of the best places in the country to see basking sharks.

There is also a lot of history to be seen.

The area is known for being the stronghold of the Lord of the Isles who was one of the most

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powerful ‘kingdoms’ in Scotland.

Even though it wasn’t a kingdom gave the King of the Scots in the middle ages a run around.

The Lord of the Isles was defeated in the late 15th century and disbanded.

Today you can still see traces from the glory of the past with castles scattered along the coast.

Tobermory, which is the capital of Mull is arguably the most beautiful coastal town in Scotland.

With its colourful seafront houses it is very striking when approached by the sea. North of Mull is the Ardnamurchan peninsula, one of the most exposed headlands on the west coast of mainland Scotland.

It has been recently on national news because a container ship ran aground near the headland of the peninsula.

For people who like beaches the Arisaig archipelago is one of the best places in Scotland to enjoy a day at the beach.

It is one of the best sea kayaking heavens in Scotland, with many sheltered beaches and rather friendly seals.

Sea kayaking in Scotland is one of the best adventures someone can experience in a lifetime

Unit 3, 315 Shettleston Road, Glasgow

Call 0141 556 2264 www.gliding-doors.co.uk

13

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EASTER FEATURE FAMILY EASTER RITUALS EASTER EGG HUNT IDEAS MANY rituals and traditions are associated with the celebration of Easter.

Whether it be an Easter egg hunt, decoration of eggs, or a church service, most of us parttake in activities that mark the event as a time for reflection, celebration, and above all engagement with family.

Each family constructs its own unique rituals that continue to bring joy across generations.

Why are family rituals important?

Family rituals help us to feel a part of something that is strong and ongoing. They create a team bond between family members known as “family identity”.

As activities are systematically repeated over time, rituals stabilise family identity by clarifying family member roles, setting boundaries within and outside the family, and establish rules that say “this is how our family is”.

Children:

Rituals are important for children in creating a sense of stability and consistency. This helps a child feel safe, wanted and contained.

They learn that some things in life are predictable and can be reliably looked forward to.

They learn that they play a certain role in fulfilling the ritual and take enjoyment in knowing they are part of “how our family is”.

Teenagers: Rituals help bridge the road from childhood to adulthood.

Even when everything else is changing within and around them, teenagers can rely on and look forward to something predictable in which they understand their role.

It offers them an opportunity to rekindle their relationships with family if they have been distant or rebellious and remember fondly their days of childhood perhaps softening some of those hard emotions.

Adults: Adults and particularly par-

ents swell with pride as they recreate the traditions they experienced as a child.

This is an opportunity to show the next generation “how things are done”. By putting a unique spin on a tradition, parents can also take joy in knowing how they have contributed to their own children’s pleasant memories.

Elderly or grandparents: Finally, rituals allow the elderly or grandparents to connect with younger generations.

They have an opportunity to pass on their wisdom and take comfort in knowing that “how things are done” will continue to be done by future generations.

So however you celebrate Easter, enjoy the knowledge that what you do is important in the psychological continuation of your family and connecting the generations.

You’re creating a sense of love, personal and family pride, and a sense of belonging that no one else can give.

MAKE AN EASTER BONNET JUST like Easter eggs, Easter bonnets are a staple element of the Easter celebrations. If you’re facing the challenge, we have all the inspiration you need to create a bonnet with that extra wow factor.

Bonnets can be made from a variety of materials - from basic straw and boater-style hats to home-made card creations that you can muster up with your child. The latter probably allows for more creativity but if you’re pushed for time and have a ready-made hat at hand, it’ll give you a prominent head start!

Start by laying the table out

with craft materials and search the house for useful accessories - egg cartons, old boxes, plastic plates, even plant pots can be used to create something fabulous.

Make you own Make a half moon shape piece of card roughly the same size as back of child’s head, then measure roughly from front to back of head (this gives you the width for a rectangle of card which needs to be the same length to fit round the hooped edge of the half moon).

Mark a line along the length of the card about 2cm in and

cut at 2cm intervals, then put a line of double sided tape along hooped edge of half moon and stick rectangle to it, the cuts will help it to bend. There you have your basic bonnet ready for decorating! 0R How to make paper plate bunny ears Easter bonnets In the centre of a paper plate draw some bunny ear shapes.

Colour in the inside of the ears with a pink pen. Carefully cut round the ears and the inner rim of the plate.

Fold out the ears so they stand up.

Your bunny ear Easter bonnet is now ready to wear!

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EASTER egg hunts are a lovely way to celebrate Easter Sunday and great fun for children of all ages.

You don’t need to spend a fortune - you can pick up little chocolate eggs and plastic eggs (in which to hide little treats) really cheaply at supermarkets and pound shops. You don’t even need special baskets - any little baskets, buckets or bags will do. You could even get the children to decorate some paper bags before they start.

Here are some ideas for some fun Easter hunts Active treasure hunt Set up different ‘activity posts’ around the garden or park that ask the kids to complete various physical challenges before they start searching for more eggs. They could include star jumps, running up and down a path, doing a silly dance.

Go to the woods Head for the woods and make Easter egg hunts even more exciting in the great out-

doors. Hide little Easter eggs or treats all around. You can use clues to lead them from one egg to the next or simply let them roam free and collect as many eggs as possible.

Colour coded hunt Wrap little eggs and treats in different coloured tissue paper and then give each child a colour. Hide the treats all round the house, garden or park and the children must hunt them only taking treats in their colour to pop in their Give us a clue Treasure hunts with clues are ideal for older kids and can provide a great way to harness their imagination and concentration. Create rhyming clues that take them from one hiding place to another until they find their Pirate treasure hunt Why not mix things up a bit with a pirate theme to grab their attention? Lay out a special map on the ground and let them use it to find the ‘hidden treasure’. You could even make

a treasure map to lead the chidlren to their bounty Crafts treasure hunt Set up different craft stations around the garden. Try our Easter crafts page for some ideas or keep things simple with basic drawing/painting.

The idea is that once your child has collected 5 eggs they move onto the next station until they reach the end of the hunt Easter story hunt Make up or choose a story that will lead children to find hidden eggs. Place an equal number of eggs at each point so each child gets to collect an egg for their pot and let them take their time to work out where the next clue might lead Fancy dress hunt Place different dress up accessories around the garden for them to put on as they solve each clue. This doesn’t need to be expensive - some home made bunny ears and teeth, cotton wool tails, card hats are all easy to make and great fun.

14

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TALL SHIPS AT SPIERS WHARF MONDAY the 23rd of March saw the start of a new alternative living initiative based at Speirs Wharf in Glasgow.

Marking the latest stage in the regeneration of both the canal and North Glasgow itself, Scottish Canals’ newly renovated Dutch Barge, the John Hume, made its inaugural voyage to Speirs Wharf, where the 114-year-old vessel will soon be welcoming guests as one of Glasgow’s most unusual holiday lets.

Following an extensive 12 month restoration the craft is finished to an uncompromising standard. Consisting of a double bedroom, fully functional bathroom with a shower and a surprisingly roomy kitchen diner this alternative way of living

might have some reconsidering their mortgage.

While an overnight stay might be within most people’s budget- starting from seventy-five pounds, the costs of actually living on the canal is

REDUCE SALT IN YOUR DIET

MOST of the salt we eat is hidden in our food so it’s very easy to eat more than the recommended healthy amount.

But by making some easy food swaps you can make a big difference to the amount of salt your family eats. The examples listed below, show what a difference a few, well chosen food swaps can make and how important it is to check the label to find out which is the lower salt option.

Bacon sandwiches When having a bacon sandwich, try using unsmoked, lower salt back bacon, reduced salt and sugar brown sauce and lower salt bread and you could save 1.6g salt Shop-bought chicken sandwiches Instead of a BBQ chicken wrap, try a “healthy choice” chicken salad sandwich and you could reduce the amount of salt by 1.4g Spaghetti bolognese When you’re making spaghetti Bolognese, make your own tomato based sauce to add to the mince and vegetables rather than using a jar of toma-

to sauce and season with herbs and pepper instead of adding salt.

Following these swaps could reduce the salt from your pasta dinner by 1.4g salt Cornflakes Be label savvy and choose the brand that has the less salt, you could reduce your intake by 0.4g Packed lunches When packing a school lunch swap a ham and cheese sandwich for a chicken one with some reduced fat mayo and lettuce and use lower salt bread. Give some unsalted nuts and raisins rather than crisps and you could reduce the salt from this meal by 1.6g. And try adding in some fresh fruit and maybe some cherry tomatoes too..

Sausage and mash A real family favourite but it’s’ possible to reduce the salt of this meal too. Choose “healthy choice” pork sausages, use reduced salt and sugar baked beans and serve with reduced salt and sugar tomato ketchup - you could save 1.2g salt from this meal as well.

considerably higher.

Seeing as just the lease of a mooring would cost around fifty thousand pounds annually it is quite apparent that the future inhabitants of the stretch of canal at Speirs Wharf will form a rather exclusive community.

It is hard to ignore the fact that the postcard perfect location, with panoramic views of the city, borders some of the most deprived and neglected areas of Glasgow.

In the next issue I will be having a more in depth look at the possible effect this project might have on the wider community and attempt to answer the question of whether the initiative is capable of benefiting more than just the well off inhabitants of the area.

Another College Student Wins a Medal!

GLASGOW Kelvin College is awash with hugely talented and creative Jewellery Design students!

Following student success at the recent Goldsmiths’ Awards, Degree level Jewellery Design student, Laura Sykes, was presented with the top award by The Worshipful Company of Cutlers at the British Art Medal Society (BAMS) Awards for her exquisite ‘To a Mouse’ medal in sterling silver.

23yr old Laura, from New Cumnock in Ayrshire, used her weel-kent knowledge and experience of Burns Country as inspiration for her beautiful design, starting off from a concept and building it up from scratch using CAD software. The long and intricate process of sculpting and casting the medal produced excellent results and she admits she was surprised at how well the medal turned out.

“I’m fairly new to Computer Aided Design but I can honestly say that I’m really interested in the technological side of design. The success of my

medal has certainly encouraged me to develop my skills and, with the support of my excellent tutors at the College, I intend to go onto Honours level through Duncan of Jordanston College to complete my degree.”, she said.

The competition is a UK national event, with universities and colleges vying for the sought-after first prizes from the various ‘Guilds’. Laura was awarded with a year’s membership of BAMS and a cheque for £250.

She was delighted that her work received such an accolade and puts this down to her support at Glasgow Kelvin College.

She added, “I really enjoy it here at GKC – the facilities and opportunities are great.

We’re encouraged to enter competitions and staff keep us informed of what is going on in the industry. This is the first time I have won a competition outright and I couldn’t be more pleased!”

The College, and her tutors, are delighted too – congratulations to all involved!!

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Call for urgent action as SMC rejects what clinicians call “paradigm shift” in treatment of prostate cancer THE Chair of Glasgow East Prostate Cancer Support Group has expressed anger at the Scottish Medicines Consortium’s (SMC) decision to reject the life-prolonging and life-enhancing drug, abiraterone, for use on NHS Scotland for men with incurable prostate cancer who have not received chemotherapy.

Abiraterone after chemotherapy was approved for routine use on NHS Scotland in August 2012. However the drug is not routinely available to men who have not received chemotherapy, when it has been shown to extend life and delay or avoid the need for chemotherapy and its devastating side effects (1,2).

The SMC’s decision means that men with incurable prostate cancer who are unable to undergo, or want to delay, chemotherapy cannot now gain routine access to the treatment on NHS Scotland.

The SMC has ignored the emphatic support from clinicians and patients for this treatment. Clinicians consulted by the SMC described abiraterone before chemotherapy as “a paradigm shift” in the treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer UK also made clear the overwhelming support of patients (see notes to editors B). Despite this the SMC still rejected the drug.

The news comes during the latest wave of Prostate Cancer UK’s Men United campaign, which aims to ‘keep friendships alive.’

Commenting on the decision Tam Hewitt, Chair of Prostate Cancer UK’s support group for Glasgow East, said: “The SMC’s decision to deny abiraterone on the NHS in Scotland is an intolerable blow to hundreds of men with incurable prostate cancer. We are saddened to see that, once again, men are being denied treatment because it’s deemed to be too expensive. The manufactur-

er, Janssen, must make sure its product is sensibly priced so that men aren’t caught in a situation where a drug exists that could improve and extend their lives, but they just can’t get it.

“Men with advanced prostate cancer deserve the right to routinely access a treatment that can delay chemotherapy and its devastating side-effects. No man should be told they must endure and survive chemotherapy before they are allowed to

routinely access abiraterone. And that is why I urge both the SMC and the manufacturer to work together immediately to get this drug approved.”

Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, added: “Men United is our movement for everyone who believes that men are worth fighting for, and we have that whole movement behind us when we call on both the SMC and the manufacturer to immediately take the actions need-

ed to get this drug routinely available to the men who need it throughout Scotland. We will not rest until this is the case both in Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK.” Prostate Cancer UK’s Men United campaign aims to ‘keep friendships alive.’ People are being urged to search ‘Men United’ to sign up.

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or via the

online Live chat, instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org.

The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays.

Glasgow East Prostate Cancer Support Group meets in the players’ lounge of Celtic Park Football Stadium between 1:45pm and 3:15pm on the first Tuesday of the month. For further details please contact Ann Innes on 0141 314 0050.

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NATIONAL BUTCHERS’ WEEK IT’S National Butchers’ Week and food-finding network Local Food Britain has revealed the findings of its recent customer survey, which suggest overwhelming support for independent butchers. 93% of respondents perceive their butcher as most trustworthy, while nine out of 10 say quality is more important than price.

Celebrity chef Tony Tobin, agrees. He sources meat from his local butchers just a few doors down from his restaurant, and says he appreciates talking to a butcher about the

origins of the meat. “Quality is important to a real butcher – it’s his livelihood,” Tobin explains. “When people ask me for dinner party advice, I always say, ‘If you do nothing else, spend on your meat.’

Your butcher is someone you can talk to about what you need.”

Robert Hewitt, the manager at the butchers, agrees.

“Shoppers are always enlightened when they buy from us,” he says. “They find they get more flavour, the provenance is traceable and they can get exactly what they want.”

Of the 529 people who took part in Local Food Britain’s survey, 85% said knowing they are supporting local farmers would make them more likely to buy from a butcher, while another 75% stated that ethi-

cal production was a factor in their choice. In addition, more than three quarters of those surveyed indicated they would like to know more about the local farmers who supply their butcher.

However, more than half (55%) said they would welcome ‘at-a-glance’ price labelling, suggesting that some shoppers find buying by weight confusing. “Many

people feel about butchers,” adds Tracy. “Provenance and quality are clearly very important, and independent butchers have a great advantage when it comes to traceabili-

people are used to buying a pack of chicken breasts from the supermarket for a fiver without thinking about how much it weighs,” explains Local Food Britain founder, Tracy Carroll. “£25 per kilo for sirloin steak might sound expensive until you realise that an average portion is around 200g. There’s an opportunity for butchers to improve their labelling to help consumers make buying decisions, especially those shoppers who are on a budget.”

“The survey has offered a fascinating insight into how

ty, as many have developed strong relationships with the farmers who supply them. For instance, Robert Hewitt sells lamb to Tony Tobin which originates from Sondes Place Farm, Dorking. That means it travels just 6.7 miles from farm to butcher and then a few metres along the High Street to the restaurant.”

Shoppers who are thinking about popping into their butcher during National Butchers’ Week – perhaps for the first time – can find a variety of tempting offers from butchers across Glasgow.

Why you should get to know the butcher

THERE are plenty of reasons why even cash-strapped food-lovers should choose a local butcher over a supermarket – and the horse-meat scandal being only one of them A proper butcher can say exactly where his meat came from because he probably unloaded the lorry carrying it.

He will know how every s­ ingle muscle on an animal works and how best to recover and prepare it for sale. He can advise about various cuts, their different cooking m ­ethods, what to serve with them and possibly which wine best accompanies them. At a butcher’s, you will have personal

service and the meat you buy will have been properly hung, come from a traceable provenance, cut to order and in every way will be hugely better than anything a supermarket can offer. Averaged out the cost of buying from a butcher all year, is no more e­ xpensive than a supermarket and the quality is usually higher and much more reliable. Highstreet butchers are our conduit to honest, reliable-quality meat and they’re slipping through our grasp. If shoppers aren’t more conscientious in their purchasing decisions, next time there’s a food scare there may not be any butchers left to save the day.

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FRANK CROSS BUTCHER

aka Glasgow’s Best Wee Butcher Serving Parkhead and Glasgow for 70Yrs Famous for award winning Sausages and Steak Pies Second to none selection of cuts on and off the bone to suit everyone’s palate

812 Springfield Road, Parkhead, Glasgow, G31 4HL

0141 554 6621

Beef passed off as lamb?

Another reason to support your local butcher

DAVID COX BUTCHERS

29A MAIN STREET BRIDGETON, G40 1QA MONDAY - SATURDAY 7:15AM - 5:00PM

ALL OF OUR SLIMMERS RANGE ARE LESS THAN 5% FAT SAUSAGE, BURGERS,MINCE, STEW, CHICKEN

0141 554 4914 MASTER

R&W MEATS BUTCHER

Gluten Free Specialist ARE you surprised that half of takeaway lamb curries turn out to contain beef and other meats (and some contain no lamb at all)?

I suspect not. But the story reinforces a broader point about how little we know about where our food comes from.

And this partly explains why Britain is seeing a revival of the traditional butcher.

There is one way to know that you are getting high-quality meat from a healthy animal that has lived in a field and that is to buy it from a trained butcher that you know and trust. It’s not necessarily more expensive than supermarkets’ deluxe ranges and you only have to look at the meat to see the difference. Supermarket beef looks moist, flabby and pallid.

If it is aged at all to develop the flavour, it is “wet-aged”, which means it sits around, usually for just a few days, in sealed plastic bags so that it doesn’t lose any weight through evaporation (which costs money).

Even supposedly premium, “dry-aged” products do not look right. They don’t look dark and dry. The new breed

of butcher buys meat directly from particular farms and takes pride in high standards of preparation. The staff build a relationship with the customer based on trust. Some, are attached to restaurants, which helps to control costs.

I genuinely think that knowing a decent butcher makes your life better. The key point is that the meat tastes better.

Thick pork rib chops, for example, make a delicious and inexpensive supper. They seem to have the essence of pig.

But there are other life-enhancing aspects. For one thing, as a customer you benefit from the human contact which is missing from most transactions these days. You are dealing someone who has real specialist and technical knowledge A great cut to try, is as the,French call onglet. It is the diaphragm, the sheet of muscle which hangs under the animal’s chest: in our butchery it is known as skirt or “hanger” steak. As many readers will know, onglet is rich in flavour and extremely moreish. It also happens to be cheap, perhaps because it is slightly more fid-

dly to prepare than ordinary steak.

You have to sear it at a high temperature for a short time.

In a cast-iron pan is one way.

Any longer and it becomes as tough as leather. Then you rest it in a warm place and fry some sliced shallots in the same pan.

Add a glass of soft red wine and reduce that to the consistency of a light syrup. Slice the onglet across the grain – this means the slices are tender – and pour over (or “nap”, as chefs say) the shallot sauce. Serve with chips.

Onglet is not a profitable cut for butchers, which may explain (I don’t know) why Waitrose sold it for a short while as one of their vaunted “economy cuts” then took it off the shelf.

It requires some time-consuming – and skilled – knife-work to remove tough sinews and tidy it up ready for the pan.

But a good butcher will do this stuff for you. Nothing is too much trouble. Nor do you get the sense that they expect you to spend a fortune. All this – and they can tell you where the animal came from in the first place.

AWARD WINNING MASTER BUTCHER WITH 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE BRINGS A NEW FOOD EXPERIENCE TO ROYSTON

Our aim is to show you a new way to approach gluten free living. Don’t waste another bite on bland, crumbly, and tasteless food. That’s why we create and sell delicious gluten free food to help your digestive system put a smile on your face Our mission is to make the best gluten free food in Glasgow and show how you can enjoy a gluten free diet without compromising on taste. Our award-winning-range - from breads and bagels to mince pies – simply choose a gluten free lifestyle.

From the best of breakfast, to lunches you’ll love, treats for tea and more, you can tuck into all kinds of gluten free gorgeousness with great taste and texture.

But more than just fantastic foods, R & W promise an attitude and philosophy aimed at making your glutenfree life as full and happy as possible.

Going gluten free isn’t just for people with medically diagnosed gluten sensitivity and coeliac disease. In fact, many people make the switch so they can simply potentially feel better by eating gluten free.

Lots of people report the benefits of going gluten free including increased energy levels, as well as a better ability to focus. That tired slump after eating lunch? Going gluten free might help that, too. Many people report that ‘over-full’ bloated feeling disappears, too.

R & W Glasgows answer to everyone who needs to eat gluten-free or simply wants to eat gluten-free. We’re here to help change your diets and to change your lives. You to can eat well and smile often.

Our motto is: VINCO TRUCIPO EST SECUNDUS UT NULLUS (The Master Butcher is second to none).

146 ROYSTON ROAD G21 2QL TELEPHONE 07879 206285

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Glasgow Sculpture Studios’ Creative Cargo programme luminates North Glasgow community views

Creative Cargo project barge

Depot Arts Saturday Group at What Floats Your Boat Event on the canal

GLASGOW Sculpture Studios, located in the The Whisky Bond building on the Forth and Clyde Canal has been working with local communities across North Glasgow for the past year now, delivering a host of creative and practical transferable skills in contemporary sculpture and art.

Linking project themes back to the local community and our surrounding environment, predominantly the Forth and Clyde Canal, Glasgow Sculpture Studios has been using the project name ‘Creative Cargo’ to reach out workshops, screenings, events and exhibitions to the wider local community, collaboratively making new work to explore the area.

From January - March of this year we were delighted to deliver our first moving image/ film programme with artist member Sarah Rose and a host of local community groups including adult groups from Possil and Westercommon, youth groups from Maryhill, Possil, and Kelvin as well as young children

also from Possil, Maryhill and Hamilton Hill.

‘Luminous Views’ was our first winter canal project, lighting up the area with activities that explore local film making within Glasgow’s urban environment in and around the Forth and Clyde canal.

Envisioning Glasgow’s past and present the local groups worked with artist Sarah Rose to explore collated archival footage, recent releases and local productions.

A number of workshops were delivered that documented, re imagined and projected the canals surrounding landscape, its activity and its inhabitants.

The workshops investigated a variety of processes associated with film and image making and their history: stop-motion animation, storyboarding, shadow puppets, pinhole cameras, Phenakistoscopes, lanterns, action videos, and short films.

The programme concluded with our public film screenings of both the archival image (kind-

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Princes Trust Group filming outside on the canal.

ly provided by our project partners Scottish Screen Archive, and permission granted by Sean Connery’s lawyer for the 1967 ‘Bowler and the Bunnet!) as well as new contemporary artists and local community participant film work. Our film screenings were uniquely showcased on our Creative Cargo canal boat which transformed the Forth and Clyde Canal into a floating cinema location for 3 days!

Sarah Rose and the GSS team were delighted to collaborate with Maryhill Community Central Halls Princes Trust

Creative Cargo project barge

Happy participant of the Shadow Puppet workshop at Deport Arts Under 12 Monday Group

group, various groups from Depot Arts, Hamilton Hill Nursery, Lambhill Stables, Kelvin College, and various groups from Barnados and Stepping Stones / CHIP. One of our Young adult participants from Maryhill Community Central Halls (Team 103 Jordan Wilson from Princes Trust) had this to say about the recent film making take over in North Glasgow....

“Working with the Glasgow sculpture studios was fun, engaging and hard work. We did everything from making a simple flip book to a clay model

for a film project which was produced by myself and team.

We were constantly give the chance to give our input into the projects we did, developing our ideas and getting to see the outcome much to our enjoyment. Also some of us got to work with Davie from Maryhill Climate challenge at the community garden helping building raised beds as well as helping local children make herb plants to take home and grow themselves. Overall it makes me appreciate how hard artists and gardener work to make their projects enjoyable and interest-

ing for the local community”.

As you can see the Glasgow Sculpture Studios has been developing stronger and longer term relationships with the groups over the past year, working from everything from the film programme to developing the community garden which sits on site here at Glasgow Sculpture Studios!

For more information about the Creative Cargo project and other forthcoming local community events and creative opportunities with Glasgow Sculpture Studios please check out www.creativecargo.org and

www.glasgowsculpturestudios. org Glasgow Sculpture Studios is located in the The Whis-

Green Screening for Princes Trust Group films

ky Bond Building, 2 Dawson Road, Glasgow, G4 9SS, and the gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm.

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THE GENN WELCOMES OUR NEW CARTOONISTS ABOARD

The Scottish Cartoon Art Studio offers a wide range of services: • Caricaturist hire, producing quick-fire drawings of guests at events of all kinds.

• Live digital caricature using iPad technology, a first in Scotland.

• Gift caricatures for all occasions created using photos you send in.

• Wedding caricatures including large-scale canvases and artwork for stationery.

•Comic strips for education, information and entertainment.

• Character designs for advertising and promotional purposes.

• Illustrations for print and digital media.

•Visual minutes capturing discussions in cartoon form for businesses and other organisations.

•Workshops for children and adults.

GLASGOW’S own team of professional cartoonists bring a touch of colour, humour and fun to The Genn.

Based in Mount Vernon and founded in 1999 the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio is a team of professional cartoonists and caricaturists, the first of its kind in Scotland. There are five artists based in the Studio each with their own drawing style, working collaboratively to take on projects big and small and offering a diverse range of services. (See sidebar.)

The speciality of the house is caricature. These make excellent gifts for family, friends and co-workers. Among the notable people who’ve received the Studio’s work are Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and the Prince of Wales.

The caricaturists can also be booked to draw quick sketches for people to take away on the spot; this can be done in pen and ink or on an iPad, a new service in Scotland that the Studio launched last year with a demonstration session at the Apple Store on Buchanan Street.

Live caricature makes a great addition to wedding receptions and kids parties but also major public events; last summer the team were in the Athletes Village for The Commonwealth Games, drawing keepsakes for the competitors as well as the support staff and Clydesider volunteers.

Studio Head Chris Sommerville: “Even after 15 years in business caricature isn’t overly familiar to most Scots.

Many clients speaking with us for the first time mention getting a quick-fire drawing on holiday; they don’t think of it as an option in Scotland. Explaining what caricature truly is has been an almost daily task since the beginning. The most common worry is that we’ll be cruel. But this is my livelihood; deliberately cruel caricatures would mean I’d starve to death!”

The Studio’s caricatures of “well kent faces” are called Fizzers, featuring stars of film and tv, sports men and woman, artists, writers, politicians and more. These have been the subject of a book as well as exhibitions at the Scottish

National Portrait Gallery, the People’s Palace & Winter Gardens and Platform in Easterhouse.

The Fizzers collection grows all the time. For example, the team produced likenesses of all the various incarnations of Doctor Who during the programme’s 50th anniversary.

These have made into badges that are a must for all fans; the first run has already sold out with more on the way and the Studio’s artists are sharpening their pencils for further badges based on another popular tv show. Hint: zombies may feature.

The Studio is a business but also does its bit to promote cartooning as an art form in its own right, particularly Scottish work beyond our borders. As well as contributing to shows and publications in Croatia, Norway, Romania and the USA the team has frequently travelled to France to represent Scotland at the annual Salon International de la Caricature, du Dessin de Presse et d’Humour which takes place in the small town of St.Just-le-Martel.

Whilst there the team have met many world famous cartoonists including Georges Wolinski, one of those who perished earlier this year in the attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine. Naturally the Studio numbered among the many hundreds of cartoonists around the world who expressed solidarity through drawings in the days that followed.

With the eyes of the world on Scotland in the run up to the independence referendum last year the Studio organised an exhibition of cartoons from around the world reflecting all sides of the debate, The Auld Acquaintance. As well as St. Just-le-Martel the exhibition’s tour included The Guardian’s headquarters in London, Leiper Fine Art in Glasgow city centre, the cultural centre in Lleida, Catalonia and the University of Limoges, France.

Studio Co-ordinator Terry Anderson: “Last year’s exhibition was a challenge to put together in a number of ways but one thing that wasn’t hard was getting enough cartoons in.

The world is fond of Scotland I

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think and our national “brand” includes lots of visuals that lend themselves to cartoons; golf, kilts, Nessie, whisky and so on. Had the call come from any other country the same size as ours I don’t think the response would have been anything like as plentiful.”

“Since the attack in Paris people seem to be looking at cartoons in a different way.

Cartoonists are suddenly being treated like heroes by some, villains by others. And at the same time our traditional platform is bring eaten away. The Scotsman group of newspapers has dropped all three of their regular cartoonists for example. I think Chris’ business model, putting our talent available direct to the public, was ahead of its time and what all professional cartoonists will be doing in the future.”

Chris adds: “What we do

is by definition funny and light-hearted but we take our careers seriously. All cartoonists must wear two hats, businessperson and artist, and we crave both commercial and critical success. It might be tempting to move somewhere cartooning is more popular and the living might be easier. But I’m an East-End lad at heart and I think it’s important we remain in Glasgow and keep flying the flag for Scotland.”

From today readers of The Genn can expect to see contributions from the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio on a regular basis: Fizzers caricatures of people making headlines, topical cartoons and more.

For more information visit the Studio’s website scottishcartoons.com Find them on Facebook / ScottishCartoonArtStudio and Twitter @ScottishCartoon

The Studio team are: CHRIS SOMMERVILLE Chris is the Studio Head, establishing the business in 1999 backed by a team of artists who have remained with him ever since. As well as working collaboratively with the other Studio artists Chris has developed his own strand of self-published caricature books themed around international football.

TERRY ANDERSON Terry is the Studio Co-ordinator, assisting Chris in the running of the business and taking a lead role on specific projects. A former student of The Kubert School for cartoonists in New Jersey he also led the Scottish Artists Union for several years.

BRIAN FLYNN Brian is a founding member of the Studio, always bringing a great sense of humour to the project in hand. Along with Chris and Derek, his caricature work has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland.

DEREK GRAY Derek is a founding member of the Studio. He’s well known in Scottish television, film and video game production as a storyboard artist with a great command of illustrative technique.

TOMMY SOMMERVILLE Tommy is a founding member of the Studio who has also taken a leading role in various projects, including the Fizzers caricature collection. In a former life he was a professional printer and for many years involved in Glasgow’s independent comics scene. He’s Scotland’s first live iPad caricaturist.

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STEPS TO BEING A HAPPIER PERSON HERE are our top steps to happiness – look at things you can stop and start doing to become a happier person inside and out!

Happy people do a lot of things. They spend time expressing gratitude, cultivating optimism, practicing kindness, nurturing loving relationships, committing to meaningful goals, savoring life’s little pleasures, and so on and so forth.

But they NEVER… 1. Mind other people’s business.

Forget about what others are doing. Stop looking at where they are and what they have.

Nobody is doing better than you because nobody can do better than you. YOU are walking your own path. Sometimes the reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes circumstanc-

es with everyone else’s public highlight reel. We listen to the noise of the world, instead of ourselves. So stop the comparisons! Ignore the distractions.

Listen to your own inner voice.

Mind your own business.

Keep your best wishes and your biggest goals close to your heart and dedicate time to them every day. Don’t be scared to walk alone, and don’t be scared to enjoy it. Don’t let anyone’s ignorance, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best you can be. Keep doing what you know in your heart is right, for YOU. Because when you are focused on meaningful work and at peace within yourself, almost nothing can shake you.

2. Seek validation of selfworth from others.

When you are content to simply be yourself, without

comparing and competing to impress others, everyone worthwhile will respect you.

And even more importantly, you will respect yourself.

How are you letting others define you? What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Truth be told, no one has the right to judge you. People may have heard your stories, and they may think they know you, but they can’t feel what you are going through; they aren’t living YOUR life. So forget what they think and say about you.

Focus on how you feel about yourself, and keep walking the path that feels best under your feet.

Those who accept you, are your friends, those who don’t are your teachers. If someone calls you something and it’s true, it’s not your problem be-

cause it’s true. If someone calls you something and it’s not true, it’s not your problem because it’s not true. Either way, whatever they call you is not your problem. What other people call you is their problem…

What you call yourself, and who you decide to become, is your problem.

3. Rely on other people and external events for happiness.

Unhappiness lies in that gap between what we have now and what we think we need. But the truth is, we don’t need to acquire anything more to be content with what we already have.

We don’t need anyone else’s permission to be happy.

Your life is magnificent not because someone says it is, or because you have acquired something new, but because you choose to see it as such.

£90,000 prize pot A competition to find the best ‘Bright Ideas’ to create a better life for people affected by dementia in Scotland has been launched.

The competition is being run by the Life Changes Trust, an independent charity set up with a Big Lottery Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of two key groups in Scotland: people affected by dementia and care experienced young people.

The challenge is to come up with a new and innovative approach or idea for something that would improve the lives of people who have dementia and/or those who care for them.

The competition is open to anyone - people living with dementia or their carers, students, academics, health professionals, designers, engineers, gardeners – anyone with a Bright Idea that can be turned into a working reality for people affected by dementia.

The idea could be related to mobility, to inclusion, to learning or to healthy living. It could be based around safety and security, housing or even just having fun.

Six applications will be shortlisted by a panel of people with dementia and carers who will score the applications on the extent to which they are: • practical • have potential to transform the lives of people with dementia and/or carers • have potential to be sustainable in the long term There will be three grant prizes, awarded at an event in November 2015: The first prize is £50,000, the second prize is £25,000 and the third prize is £15,000.

Chief Executive of the Life Changes Trust said, ‘The Trust believes that, as a society, we need to find and invest in new and innovative ways of helping people living with dementia and their carers so they feel valued, included and supported. The Trust is already funding a wide range of activities to support people affected by dementia and today we are delighted to announce our first, annual Bright Ideas competition. We hope to receive many exciting and innovative ideas and look forward to funding those that have the potential to provide the biggest benefit to people affected by dementia in Scotland.’

In Scotland: • It is estimated that around 90,000 people have dementia in Scotland • The number of people with dementia in Scotland is increasing because the population is getting older. Based on current dementia prevalence rates, the number of people with dementia in Scotland is projected to double by 2038*.

• Much of the care and financial burden of dementia falls on family carers and friends, who may also experience social isolation, exhaustion and health problems associated with the demands of caring.

• Dementia costs the country more than cancer, heart disease and stroke put together.

For more information on how to develop or submit your ‘Bright Idea’, go to the Life Changes Trust website

Don’t let your happiness be held hostage. It is always yours to choose, to live and experience.

As soon as you stop making everyone and everything else responsible for your happiness, the happier you’ll be. If you’re unhappy now, it’s not someone else’s fault.

Take full responsibility for your own unhappiness, and you will instantly gain the ability to be happier. Stop seeking in vain to arrange conditions that will make you happy.

Simply choose to appreciate the greatness that is yours in this moment, and the right conditions will start to line up around the contentment you seek.

The greater part of your happiness or unhappiness depends upon your outlook, and not upon our situation. Even if things aren’t perfect right now, think of all the beauty still left around you. A good reason to smile is always one thought away; choose to tap into it any time you wish.

4. Hold on to resentment.

Let today be the day you stop being haunted by the ghosts from your past. What happened in the past is just one chapter in your story; don’t close the book, just turn the page.

We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others, and while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long. Feelings of resentment urge us to relive the same pain over and over, and we have a hard time letting go.

Forgiveness is the remedy.

It allows you to focus on the future without combating the past. To understand the infinite potential of everything going forward is to forgive everything already behind you. Without forgiveness, wounds can never be healed and personal growth can never be achieved.

It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.

5. Spend prolonged periods of time in negative environments.

You can’t make positive choices for the rest of your life without an environment that makes those choices easy, nat-

ural, and enjoyable. So protect your spirit and potential from contamination by limiting your time with negative people and the environments they inhabit.

When other people invite you to act like victims, when they whine and moan about the unfairness of life, for example, and ask you to agree, to offer condolences, and to participate in their grievances, WALK AWAY. When you join in that game of negativity you always lose.

Even when you’re alone, create a positive mental space for yourself. Make it a point to give up all the thoughts that make you feel bad, or even just a few of them that have been troubling you, and see how doing that changes your life. You don’t need negative thoughts.

They are all lies. They solve nothing. All they have ever given you is a false self that suffers for no reason.

6. Resist the truth.

It is a certain deathtrap when we spend our lives learning how to lie, because eventually these lies grow so strong in our minds that we become bad at seeing, telling and living our own truth. Lives come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies. If you resist the truth, you will live a lie every day as the truth haunts your thoughts every night. You simply can’t get away from your truth by moving dishonestly from one place to the next.

So don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to hide the truth with deception; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion of what’s popular. It is better to offer no explanation or excuse than a false one. It takes courage and strength to admit the truth, but it is the only way to truly live. Accept what is, embrace it fully, and live for the possibilities that lie ahead.

What you can start doing right now to start the happy feeling. Feel the rhythm It’s true what they say, anyone can dance! Dancing is a fun way to get moving and can be done anywhere, even on your kitchen “dance-floor”!You’ll increase your muscular strength, confidence and get that heart pumping by getting your groove on.

For those of you with two left feet, dancing increases your balance. So give it a go anyway, you have nothing to lose!

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GENN

Kieran Fallon’s Andrew Graydon - How should women train?

Healthy Mouth Column

Nip, Nip...

Mouth Ulcers Most people experience mouth ulcers at some time in their lives.

Ulcers are unpleasant and uncomfortable but usually no more troublesome than that.

They can limit eating and drinking especially of spicy or salty foods which are best avoided when ulcers are present.

Common mouth ulcers are correctly called aphthae (pronounced AFF-thay) or aphthous ulcers. The exact cause of aphthae is still unknown and it is likely they are due to a variety and combination of factors. Irritation from a jagged tooth, filling or denture can certainly cause ulceration, as can allergy to certain foods or other substances eg certain toothpastes.

Foods which most commonly cause aphthae are spicy or acidic foods, and food with lots of chemicals or preservatives such as fizzy drinks. If you are prone to regular mouth ulcers it is worth trying to leave out such food and drinks from your diet to see if this improves matters.

Children and younger people are more likely to experience aphthae, also more women than men. Some women find they get ulcers at certain times of the month so there can be hormonal factors.

As we don’t know the reason why ulcers appear thus there is no quick cure for them, they normally heal by themselves after 7-10 days. All we can do is to treat the symptoms

using a cream or gel from the pharmacy which will coat the ulcer or numb the pain to allow more comfortable eating. Some clinicians recommend short use of steroid spray but this must only be done under the direction of a dentist or doctor.

It is important to keep your mouth very clean when you have ulcers, in order to prevent secondary infection. Regular toothbrushing is important but toothpaste can nip the ulcer so the use of numbing gel beforehand can help.

Very rarely mouth ulcers can be a symptom of more serious conditions, possibly even mouth cancer. Any ulcers which remain for longer than two weeks should be checked by a dentist. Even then it is very unlikely to be serious but it is worth checking.

Ulcers can be caused by certain mouth infections some of which can be treated with antibiotics however often the infection is caused by a virus when antibiotics would be useless. Mouth ulceration can also be the result of a general illness including inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or of Crohn’s disease.

I stress that mouth cancer is VERY rare; I spent more than 36 years as a dentist seeing thousands of patient visits every year and in my whole career I personally saw only 10-12 cases of cancer.

However if in doubt, check it out. Speak to your dentist.

When women choose to begin a new fitness programme the same questions always pops up. How should you train? Should you lift weights? Or will you get too ‘bulky’?

As with everyone, how you train and what you do when you’re training is dependent on your goals and what you wish to achieve. Your training should always be specific to your goals; you wouldn’t train with really heavy weights if your goal is to run a marathon for example.

If you have read my previous articles then you’ll know that the best way to approach weight loss is with a combination of good diet, weight training and cardio. Does this apply for women as well? Of course! It’s very out dated to think that men should head to weights room while women spend hours on the cardio machines. It’s great to see so many more women in the weights room but depending on the gym it still tends to be dominated by males. Lack of confidence and the mentality that weights will make you ‘bulky’ are two of the most common reasons why women tend to shy away from the weights room.

There are many reasons why women won’t get ‘bulky’ from lifting weights, well not very easily anyway! The biggest reason is simply the difference in hormones that men and women have. Men produce a lot more of the muscle building hormone ‘testosterone’ than women. For this reason alone women would struggle to put on anywhere as near as much muscle as men can in the same time frame

with the same training and nutrition.

It helps to get out of the frame of mind that you will touch a dumbbell and then suddenly grow your biceps by 2 inches overnight. I wish that were possible! Muscle will be put on at a very slow rate, especially for women for the reason mentioned previously.

The benefits of resistance training and adding some muscle are endless. Metabolism is speeded up as muscle requires more calories to maintain itself. Bones and joints are strengthened. Muscle also gives our bodies shape, which results in a popular ‘curvy’ physique then many women look to achieve. A purely cardio based fitness regime may result in a physique that is best described as ‘skinny fat’, this is where you have low body fat but no

muscle to give that ‘toned’ look.

A final point to make is this, who doesn’t enjoy being strong and feeling strong? Regardless of age or gender the majority of people enjoy being strong and increasing their strength.

To answer the question ‘how should women train?’ Depending on goals, the exact same as anyone else! Don’t be intimidated or fear that you may get ‘bulky. Get in the weights room and start shifting some iron! andy@agfitnesstraining.co.uk

NEW BOOK FROM EAST END AUTHOR NUALA Naughton continues her enjoyable examination of Glasgow’s past socialities from her 2013 book on the Barrowlands (‘Barrowlands: a Glasgow Experience’) with her most recent late2014 release ‘Glasgow’s East End: From Bishops to Barraboys’.

Beginning with St. Enoch, the mother of Glasgow founder St. Mungo/Kentigern, and her (likely) mythic trials as an unmarried virgin mother in a Christian and pagan society, Naughton discusses the inception and development of our city.

From St. Mungo’s first settling after burying local holy man Fergus at the mound which would become the Necropolis, through the Glaswegian “Virginia Dons” of the tobacco trade whose wealth and entrepreneurial ideals helped build much of our architecture, the book provides a fascinating insight of how the East End, and indeed most of Glasgow, materialised from Mungo’s wooden shack and into the building blocks of the city we know and love today.

Glasgow’s East End is a labour of this local love. Even in the entertaining foreword by James Doherty, a “proud East Ender”, detailing his boyish and amusing adventures growing up in the late 70s, the high level of pride the author has for Glasgow is evident from the outset through the tone alone.

Whilst in the introduction she admits “a somewhat loose approach to the ancient history”, this does not detract from the prose experience, and in fact is hardly noticeable.

For a reader who has explored very little other than folklore of the local history, this book maps a trip miles further than the local pub.

Through the chapters, many named with more than just a light pushing of tongue-in-cheek, Naughton has pulled on both academic research and stories from

interviews of East Enders.

Not quite chronological, not quite continual, the narrative is still free-flowing.

After setting off with our patron saint and founder Kentigern, she continues describing the development of the urban structure, including anecdotes on the genesis of many of the street names via the local events (for example Stockwell Street, named after the well originally standing in the area which William Wallace reportedly cried “stock it well with Englishmen”), and then plunges much deeper into all the areas which make up the East End. From Dennistoun to Shettleston, Carntyne to Carmyle, the universities, the cathedrals, the mansions, the tenements, the coffee houses, the sport grounds, the

Green and the Barras, Naughton provides a voice for the history of our city constructions that can’t talk for themselves.

It is clear that far and beyond the homes, businesses and paving slabs, the people have made Glasgow, and the book discusses both ends of the social scale with equal dollops of insight.

Alongside the political and religious reformations which dramatically realigned the East End, Scotland and further afield, the movements and ideas (and the odd bit of law-breaking) from what has always been a passionate people are described with vibrant enthusiasm.

As well as local endeavours, Glasgow’s deep footmarked standing in Europe and around the globe is constantly brought to light through the forward-thinking fire of the explorers, the inventors, the innovators, the women of suffrage, and one of the worlds first examples of trade unions.

Nuala Naughton describes these with keen personal investment in the area, and as a result the book can read almost like a personal diary; she writes like a member of the East End community and proudly so.

Although her own insights may occasionally overshadow the bare facts, the witty and downright cheeky colloquialisms are written alongside a playful and deliciously fruity vocabulary.

Glasgow’s East End: From Bishops to Barraboys is a very entertaining read, and would be fascinating for anybody, East Ender or otherwise.

Nuala Naughton will be discussing her book “Glasgow’s East End: From Bishops to Barraboys” with Magi Gibson on an upcoming date at the Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) in Bridgeton.

The library is currently closed until April 6th for ‘essential work’, so keep an eye on the website or GENN Newspaper for the date of this talk when it is arranged.

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GENN

Your Horoscope Predictions

By Eris

Aries

(21 March - 20 April)

Libra

(24 Sep - 23 Oct)

During a week crammed with celestial portents it is easier to take a broad overview. A reduced focus on your sign proves short-lived, since no sooner does one planet depart from your region of the heavens than another prepares to take its place. These machinations mainly occur across the central axis of your horoscope, as the emphasis shifts from a personal and private slant, towards a more public position and an increasing involvement with the outside world.

You’ve concluded you are not equal to the challenge. Perhaps you feel the task in hand is too enormous, leaving you exhausted before you even start and unable to create the impact that you want. Maybe you have convinced yourself that you’re intrinsically inadequate, that you cannot be clever or pretty enough, or that you are the wrong person for the job. Except clearly this trail of negative thinking does little to reassure you otherwise.

Taurus

Scorpio

(21 April - 21 May)

Venus is traditionally connected with your sign, so its return to your constellation on Tuesday for a stay lasting twenty-five days is both welcome and encouraging news.

Others may be suffering with various stresses and strains, but you are able to see any impediments for what they are and know not to take these obstacles too seriously. You feel relaxed and quite ready to address these hindrances one step at a time, knowing you’ll be able to overcome a number and can give the remainder your best shot.

Gemini

(22 May - 21 June)

The solar eclipse this Friday, belongs to a series that started in your sign on May 27, 933. That is not a typo either, these cycles endure for centuries and in this instance, really did commence over a thousand years ago. This makes you especially sensitive to any solar eclipses occurring as a part of this sequence later, even though on the face of it there is little to connect you otherwise.

After an extended period of idealism there are some areas; when it comes to your professional interests, where you hope your life is leading and in the interests of worldly success, where you are no longer prepared to make compromises.

Cancer

(22 June - 23 July)

You have always been susceptible to lunar trends. You feel emotional and often starving hungry around the night of the full moon for instance.

Whether you witness the solar eclipse on Friday or not, it is the special connection between the Sun and Moon that goes to make their rendezvous so memorable. The fallout causes you to contemplate a range of factors, that previously you hadn’t considered as candidates for review. In particular you are starting to wonder whether patterns and responses you always assumed were instinctual

Leo

(24 July - 23 Aug)

Where relationships are concerned you are still in two minds. Others notice your ambivalence, which unsettles them and causes their doubts to be echoed back to you. Your confusion typifies a situation that perpetuates itself and can only be reconciled, once you become more certain of what you want. On the one hand, there is no reward in being a trailblazer with nobody else to follow your lead. And being the greatest is a meaningless concept, if you are the only contender.

So sharing your life is in some respects a done deal.

Virgo

(24 Aug - 23 Sep)

A solar eclipse in your opposite sign puts the spotlight on your closest relationships. All kinds of associations come under this heading, so long as they function on a one-on-one basis. Thus business and professional links, close personal associations and romantic ties are especially to the forefront of your mind, with how best to match these to your ideal of perfection, the main consideration. There is room for improvement within all your closest links, so avoid getting caught up in trivia and remind yourself of how much you value those close to you.

(24 Oct - 22 Nov)

The passage of Venus into your opposite sign, combines with a group of planets in a part of the sky that signals romance for you, setting the scene for some significant encounters. This is a powerful trend, so if you are single and looking for companionship, you can maximise your chances of meeting someone new by ensuring that you position yourself, in a place where love can find its way. Existing links are equally blessed, so where difficulties continue and there seems no way forward, just be sure that you are not undermining your conscious intentions, with an array of unspoken resentments and a desire for control…

Sagittarius

(23 Nov - 21 Dec)

Light-hearted trends predominate, although you are increasingly drawn to find an outlet for your creative ideas.

This is the message of the planet Saturn after all, cutting out the extraneous and the expendable from your schedule, allowing you to concentrate on what really counts. The solar eclipse in the final degree of Pisces, places your domestic and family affairs centre stage, along with the needs of any children too. Where mutual respect has been hard to maintain at close quarters, treating anybody special as a friend first and foremost

Capricorn

(22 Dec - 20 Jan)

Tuesday sees the last exact right angle in a series of seven, between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in your sign. The first occurred nearly three years ago and they’ve happened twice each year in the interim. But allowing a while for these influences to build, they have been a feature since 2008 and similarly, once these planets have squared off this week, their influence gradually diminishes rather than disappearing overnight. However, where the upheavals in your family and around your home are concerned, the worst is probably over.

Aquarius

(21 Jan - 19 Feb)

The right angle between Uranus and Pluto that perfects this week, has a special relevance for you. Both planets imply change and while the former often heralds sudden alterations and about-turns, the latter ensures these updates are thorough, far-reaching and entirely permanent. Uranus is said to rule your sign, since the revolutionary tendencies with which it is linked, suit your own progressive and radical outlook very well. Its drastic nature is not something everyone enjoys or can comfortably countenance.

Pisces

(20 Feb - 20 Mar)

The total solar eclipse in your sign, is best seen from Northern Europe.

Partiality persists to a diminishing degree across the remainder of this continent, northern and western Africa, eastern Asia and the Middle East. But the effect is still powerful, even for those located outside of this zone, as it calls into question your customary methods of handling people and getting your message across. First impressions count; while few are eager to alienate others or to muddy the waters of their relationships deliberately.

Just a Thought

Change for the better THERE’S something in all of us that seems to want the changes we’re trying to make in our lives happen right away.

If we’re trying to lose weight, we want those abs to show up within a week or two. If we’re building muscle we want to look like the Hulk in a month. If we’re learning to meditate we want to master that in a week.

But none of that happens.

What I’ve learned through repeated habit changes is that change comes much slower than we ever imagine.

How long does it take to find your abs? Well, they’re in there, but depending on where you start, it can take months or even years. Probably more than 6 months unless you’re already pretty close. That’s a long time to stick to a diet.

How long does it take to become a good writer? Years of practice.

How long does it take to learn programming? I have no idea, but I spent months learning and I still can’t make a real web site.

When we start a change, we have an idea of how that will turn out — a fantasy in our heads, perhaps with a short timeline and a perfect result and an increase in happiness.

But that’s only a fantasy. It never happens as quickly as we’d like, we’re never perfect at it, and we tend to be mostly as happy as before.

So given that reality, how do we make long-term changes? How can you stick to

writing or meditating or exercising for months on end, for years, to see the amazing results you’d really like to see?

Give up on the results. Instead focus on the step in front of you.

Give up on the fantasy. Instead be curious about what it’s really like when you try it.

Don’t be motivated by achieving the ideal. Be motivated by compassion for yourself and helping others.

Don’t be caught up in quick results. Savour the slow change.

Forget about the happiness of the outcome. Instead find happiness in the learning.

Don’t worry about perfect execution. The entire point is to learn about yourself.

And you will learn about yourself. You will have slow change. You will help yourself and others through this change. You will find out what it’s really like when you put in the effort. You will find happiness in each step, in the learning you experience along the way.

Change is worth the effort, and the results aren’t what you fantasize about — they’re much better, if you pay attention.

Do not procrastinate, Procrastination is a friend or a beast, depending on our own thoughts, that we all live with. It lurks behind us constantly, insinuating itself into the crevices of our mind, intimating its will through malev-

Clearing the wood to see the trees

The Genn Crossword

olent hints and obscure looks and barely audible whispers and glancing allusions.

What does it mean to have “No Procrastinaton”?

Does that mean an unbroken stream of work from waking until bed?

It means I’m going to define things I can’t procrastinate on, even for a minute, and set a time period I have to work without distraction. And after that work period, I get a break.

Try these rules: 1.

List Most Important Tasks. list 3 things that are important to you. Each day.

2. Do the first things early. As soon as you start your day, Meditate without procrastination. Then do the first Most Important Task on your list for 20 minutes.

3.

Get the other things done as early as the schedule allows. Do all Most Important Tasks as early as possible. Do not allow yourself to do other trivial things until after.

4. A 10-minute break is allowed after 20-minute unprocrastination session ends take 10 minutes, then go into the next 20-minute unprocratination session.

5. No wine at night if you mess up. There might be times you’ll mess up. When you do, take a small penalty — no wine/beer.

The main challenge will be to be mindful of your urges to go to distraction, to run from discomfort, when your supposed to be doing something

CHECK FOR ANSWERS ON PAGE 31

Across

1. Enlarge to make it universal (7) 4. Reddish-brown variety is ape (5) 7. Some expression in marmot tooth (5) 9. Circular function, bronze man (7) 10. Asserts its sins are various (7) 11. Vessels or transports (5) 12. Alter emu as to entertain (5) 14. Blockhead bovine, tailless stray, is a fighter (5) 19. Change seats for something valuable (5) 21. Incorporated in short, drawn at angle (7) 23. The ache becomes a wild animal (7) 24. Increase in pay or move up (5) 25. Change early into a sheet (5) 26. Yon urge becomes less mature (7)

Down

1. Rearrangement of big mat as ploy (6) 2. Tones become musical symbols (5) 3. Tardy saint in short, is up-to-date (6) 4. Musical compositions by male offspring George, Simon (5) 5. Change recipes to be exact (7) 6. Someone creative included in party list (6) 8. Headless constrictor, uninitiated Egyptian goddess, found in desert (5) 13. Enigma concealed in my stern yak (7) 15. Happen it’s a headless mythical bird dog (5) 16. Head of police, part of a circle and tailless gremlin wraps it up (6) 17. Hit gym to change into something powerful (6) 18. Scattered shooting star is remote (6) 20. Instructor discovers tutu torn (5) 22. Topping in gastronomic ingredient (5)

GENN

Your News

editor@thegenn.co.uk

27

0141 552 9977

BANK VOLUNTEERS LEND A HAND AT GLASGOW SCHOOL

AS part of the bank’s Community Days scheme, employees from Santander’s Glasgow office recently spent the day at Parkview Primary school in the north of the city helping to redecorate and reorganise the school’s library.

The activity saw two volunteers reorganise the library so that the children can now eas-

ily access the reading materials they need.

Another two volunteers from the bank spent the day helping to redecorate one of the school’s classrooms designated to children who suffer from severe sensitivity to loud noises, bright colours and lots of activity.

Over the past few years, four primary schools in the area

have been amalgamated and as a result all resources and learning materials are now in the one school. .

Catherine Harte, Head Teacher at Parkview Primary School, said: “I would like to extend my personal thanks to the cheerful, enthusiastic Santander volunteers, we’re incredibly grateful for the work they completed.

Contributions from local partners are extremely valuable to us, not only in bringing about improvements but also in illustrating to the children the importance of contributing to the local community.”

Liz Boyle, Relationship Manager at Santander Corporate and Commercial in Glasgow, said:

“Before the Community Day, we were unaware of how much is expected of teachers above and beyond their teaching remit.

Being able to offer assistance to the school and help complete projects that will directly benefit the pupils was particularly rewarding and we hope to organise similar activities in the

future.”

Santander’s Community Days scheme encourages staff to take a day out of the office to volunteer with a local cause.

Last year over 2,700 members of staff took part in 256 projects across the country, including refurbishing local schools, hospitals and helping with community projects.

Shettleston camps out to highlight fuel poverty!

ON Friday March 20th 35 hardy souls spent a chilly night camping out at the Shettleston Community Growing Project site.

The Big Shettleston Sleepover aims to raise awareness of fuel poverty and to raise money for people in the Shettleston area affected by it.

The event was organised by the Shettleston Housing Association’s SEA project (Shettleston Energy Advice) and local charity, the Shettleston Community Growing Project.

In all, 22 adults and 13 children took part in the sleepover.

Participants were sponsored to experience for one night the everyday reality for many people in Glasgow – a cold home and a cold bed. A variety of tents pitched in the growing project’s community garden

and allotment site served as ‘bedrooms’ and a marquee became the ‘sitting room’ where participants could socialise before bedtime.

Thanks to generous local volunteers and Shettleston Housing Association staff there was a plentiful supply of hot soup, curry and cakes to keep people reasonably warm on a cold March evening.

According to estimates one in three households in Scotland are living in fuel poverty. More people than ever are struggling to pay their bills and often have to choose between heating and eating. Fuel poverty affects low income working households as well as pensioners and the unemployed. Worrying about fuel bills leads many to turn the heating off completely, resulting in cold homes, which

can seriously affect the health and well-being of all family members. Shettleston Housing Association’s Energy Advice Project (SEA) has first-hand knowledge of the problems people face keeping warm on a low income and its staff are key partners in the Big Shettleston Sleepover.

It’s not too late to support this worthy cause. Donations are being accepted until the end of April and can be made online at https://localgiving.com/ bigshettlestonsleepover.

For more information about the event visit: www.shettlestongrowing.org. uk https://twitter.com/shettlestongrow https://www.facebook.com/ ShettlestonCommunityGrowingProject

Send in your news story and pics to share to editor@thegenn.co.uk

28 Police Scotland

GENN

Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111

Local Police News Police Scotland doubles 2014/2015 mountain rescue funding

VOLUNTEERS who keep people safe on Scotland’s hills and mountains are to get a cash boost from the police.

Police Scotland has secured money released by the Government from Libor fines on banks.

That means a further £60,000 is being awarded to Scottish Mountain Rescue in addition to the amount already provided annually.

The funding boost recognises the valuable role volunteers from all walks of life play in responding to incidents.

In October 2014, HM Treasury announced that the UK Government was allocating nearly £10m to help support emergency services personnel sourced from the Libor fines.

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice agreed that a proportion would be made available from Scotland’s share of these funds to the Scottish Police Authority.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins, lead officer for Operational Support, said: “Mountain rescue teams perform a vital task in helping to keep people safe in Scotland’s incredible outdoor environment.

“Through the allocation of Libor funding, we are pleased to be able to provide further financial support.

“It doubles our commitment financially in 2014/2015 to mountain rescue teams, whose members volunteer to go to the assistance of others when they get into difficulties on Scotland hills and mountains.

“They work closely alongside the emergency services and other response agencies such as the military and often operate in the most difficult of conditions on the toughest terrain in the country.

“While thousands of people take to that terrain in the pursuit of leisure and enjoyment, the mountain rescue team members are all too often called upon, at a moment’s notice, when things go wrong. They are an excellent example of dedicated and highly-skilled volunteers

who perform a valuable public service. The additional funding recognises that service.”

Figures from Scottish Mountain Rescue show that during 2013, there were 586 mountain rescue incidents and 55 fatalities, including eight relating to avalanche incidents.

Assistance was provided to a total of 721 people – 232 of whom were injured.

There are more than 1,000 mountain rescue volunteers in Scotland and in 2013 they committed more than 28,000 hours to providing assistance on the mountains and hills.

There was almost 3,000 hours of police time committed to mountain rescue incidents in 2013.

Simon Steer, Chair of Scottish Mountain Resue, said: “We are delighted that Police Scotland has secured this funding for Scotland’s Mountain Rescue Teams. Our voluntary Mountain Rescue Teams provide a world class service, free at the point of delivery, that is available any day, at any time and in any weather. Our Teams are, however, increasingly stretched as the number of incidents we respond to has increased, whilst fund raising becomes ever more challenging. Police Scotland’s support is therefore much appreciated as we work through another busy year of rescues.”

John Foley, Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Authority said: “This additional funding will provide a welcome boost for organisations like Scottish Mountain Rescue which complement the daily work of Police Scotland in keeping people safe. This extra support has been made possible as a result of the Scottish Government’s share of libor fines on UK banks, and we are pleased to have been able to direct funding towards these key partners of policing in Scotland.”

FRAUD SCAM WARNING

ACTION Fraud has seen an increase in the amount of victims signing up for free trials for unapproved or misleading pharmaceuticals or supplements.

The scam usually involves a ‘pop up’ on your computer or a text message advertising a free 14-day trial. In signing up to this trial you are asked for your

credit or debit card details and after the 14 days have elapsed, recurring payments are taken.

Recurring payments or continuous payment authorities are similar to a direct debit, but can be much harder to cancel or identify who is debiting your account. In most cases victims are finding it extremely difficult to cancel the subscription and the products are either not delivered or are inferior.

Common pharmaceuticals or supplements being advertised are teeth whitening products, food supplements and slimming tablets.

Protect Yourself If you desire such products speak to your GP or a local pharmacist.

Be vigilant of free trials and always read the Terms and Conditions.

Conduct basic online research of the company before registering your details and financial information.

It is important to remember that in most free-trial cases because you have paid for a product and received it, this cannot be recorded as a fraud. If you have already entered your card details on one of these websites, call up you bank immediately to stop these payments.

Robbery appeal for information

DETECTIVES at Pollok Police Office are continuing enquiries following a robbery outside a Post Office in Millerston Around 1125 hours on Monday 16 March 2015, a 51 yearold woman was outside the Post Office on Station Road, Millerston when she was approached by three men. They threatened her, with one man carrying a blunt weapon, before forcing her to the ground and robbing the woman of two bags she was carrying. The bags contained a five-figure sum of money.

The men then made off in a black Renault Clio car which was later found abandoned in Mossvale Walk, Glasgow. It is understood that the men then used another car to escape.

The woman was not seriously injured in the incident however it was a frightening experience for her and she has been left badly shaken.

The suspects are described as: Suspect one – is described

as a white man is his early 30’s who was approximately 5’8 in height. He was wearing a red/ blue Tammy type hat and a red zipped top.

Suspect two – is described as a white man in his mid 30’s who was wearing dark clothing.

Suspect three – is described as a white man in his mid 30’s who was wearing dark clothing.

Detective Sergeant Raymond Hunter of Pollok Community Investigation Unit said: “This is understood to be a targeted attack on a woman who was in the process of moving money. Although the woman was not seriously injured, this has been a terrifying ordeal for her.”

“We are in the process of reviewing CCTV images from the location and we are also gathering images from around the local area to gather further details on the cars involved and the suspects. I am appealing to anyone who may have any information or knowledge about the crime or the suspects to contact us. Your information could assist in the investigation and help us trace the men involved.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police at Pollok police office on telephone number 101. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.

Spring brings Bogus Crime

POLICE are warning of a potential increase in the incidents of doorstep crime which occur as spring approaches.

As the weather improves there will be an increase in the number of criminals who will seek to exploit vulnerable individuals through a variety of means including roof and gutter cleaning, driveway power washing, tree pruning and other jobs which we all look to undertake at this time of year. Police are advising all householders that reputable companies do not cold call and do not carry out their business on your doorstep.

From bogus callers to rogue traders, doorstep criminals are cunning, creative, and often very convincing.

Anyone can be fooled as

these people are professional con artists. However, the over 60s are often specifically targeted.

Chief Inspector Stevie Hazlett, Area Commander for Glasgow East said: “Doorstep crime can affect anyone within our local communities, but we are aware that in particular the over 60’s can be targeted due to a perceived vulnerability.

“Those who commit such crimes, like bogus callers and rogue traders, are extremely convincing in how they approach and interact with potential victims. Anyone can be convinced by the lies these criminals create.

“If you are aware of any suspicious activity taking place at the home of a neighbour, friend or family member then please contact police immediately.”

What is Doorstep Crime?

There are two main types: Bogus callers try to get into your home or obtain personal details by pretending to be someone they’re not, including: Council staff Meter readers Charity collectors Police officers In reality, they are criminals trying to steal cash and valuables.

Rogue traders usually coldcall, claiming to be workers offering to make repairs or carry out work on your house, garden or driveway. In reality they charge inflated prices for shoddy or unnecessary work We DO NOT recommend dealing with cold-callers for property maintenance and repairs to your home What can I do?

Stop!

Be on guard if someone turns up unexpectedly Use a door chain or bar Always put the chain on before opening the door Keep it on while talking to callers Don’t feel embarrassed genuine callers expect you to be careful If you don’t have a door chain, check from the nearest window. Remember, door chains can be easily fitted If you’re not sure, don’t answer the door Who should I call… …if I feel threatened, unsafe or suspicious of a caller?

Contact the police immedi-

ately on 999 …if I see something suspicious in my area, or want more advice about doorstep crime?

Contact the police on 101 Try and take a note of vehicle details or registration numbers and descriptions of anyone suspicious …if I want to contact the police anonymously?

Contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also visit its website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org …to find out more about home safety services?

Contact your local police station on 101 to arrange a free security survey Contact your local Trading Standards: Some operate No Cold Calling Zones or have lists of approved traders

Wildlife Crime Awareness Campaign

POLICE Scotland launched its first wildlife crime campaign on Monday 23 March.

The campaign is the latest move in Police Scotland’s commitment to tackling wildlife crime which in Scotland ranges from badger and bird of prey persecution through to trade in endangered species and related goods.

Police Scotland already works closely with a wide range of partners to tackle wildlife crime and the new campaign will both raise awareness and seek the public’s help in tackling this threat Scotland’s natural heritage.

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Music

With Mark Johnson

LOOPS AT GOMA

NUMBERS, the DJ collective which recently curated a stage at the East End Social present a sensory experiment at the Gallery of Modern Art on Friday March 27th Drawing on the extensive experience unifying music and digital art over the last twelve years,

the team behind Numbers and its sister company Studio Remote will present an immersive experience titled Loops in the gallery’s stunning main space.

The centrepiece of the installation will be an epic sphere, suspended among the graceful neoclassical columns of the

ON FIRE AT DRYGATE

WARMING up for their Scottish tour and their March 27th show at Barrowlands, The View played an intimate secret warmup show at Drygate in Dennistoun on Wednesday 25th March The 250 capacity Drygate was the venue as local hip hop group, Hector Bizerk opened with an acoustic set.

Without the normal drum and bass heavy sound dropped by Audrey Tait moving to a smaller drum setup and Fraser Sneddon swapping bass for acosutic guitar.

The stripped down setup showcased the percussion

talents of Dave Calder and Paul Crawford, locking into more latin grooves than is normally associated with Hector, all tied together by Louie Bhoy’s sharp lyrics.

As the lights went down for The View the chants of “The view are on fire” rang round the venue and the Dundonians took the stage to a rapturous reception opening with Glass Smash, before rattling through a set including fan favourites, Skag Trendy, Same Jeaans and Superstar tradesmen, ensuring the lucky fans went home happy.

gallery’s atrium, depicting an upwards journey through ever-changing, elemental landscapes soundtracked by a series of loops provided by Numbers artists and some of their closest musical friends.

Three dimensional surround-sound and lighting will

flow around the space, complementing the room’s iconic architecture and natural acoustics, turning one of Glasgow’s grandest historic halls into an endless loop of possibilities drawing from the past, present and future.

Soundtrack recordings pro-

vided by Adesse Versions, Anthony Naples, Blawan, Bob Techno, Deadboy, Doc Daneeka, General Ludd, JD Twitch, Line Idle, Lory D, Luma, Kool Clap, Kowton, Midland, Mumdance, Peverelist, Redinho, Sparky, Tersh, Unspecified Enemies + more TBA (please note these

artists will not be performing).

The night promises to bring something different to GOMA with an event promising to mix art and music in the type of event Glasgow not seen since electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen visited the Tramway in 2005.

TYCI COLLECTION FOR GWA TYCI, the female run music collective, aimed at supporting women in popular music, ran a collection at O2 ABC before the Sleatre-Kinney show on Wednesday 25th March for the benefit of Glasgow Women’s Aid. The collection was intended to raise awareness and help supply and children in women’s refuges in the city.

They collected food, toiletries and other essentials to help the organisation who provides temporary refuge, information and support to women and their chiildren who are experiencing Domestic Abuse.

Photo : @O2ABC/twitter

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SFHA calls for end to housing crisis Scotland owe a combined total of £14.8 billion, a figure that equals to an average of £6,166 per household THE reaction comes following an article in the Guardian detailing new figures that have just been released that show Scottish councils to owe around twice as much per household than their counterparts in England and Wales, something the debt support company believe will help the current personal debt situation across the country.

Data from the Accounts Commission has shown that the total debt for the 32 local councils throughout Scotland owe a combined total of £14.8 billion, a figure

that equals to an average of £6,166 per household. The same statistic for councils in England is stated to be around £3,100 per household, whereas in Wales the figure is just £2,825.

The report is designed to present the public with a general overview of the operation processes of local government in Scotland over the last twelve months, with an eye to give further information and perspective to the electorate as we move towards May’s general election.

Scottish authorities have borrowed upwards of £12

billion to finance public projects such as social housing, schools, roads and community facilities.

A spokesperson for Trust Deed Scotland, experts in financial recovery services across the country, has released a statement following the report: “The growing culture of borrowing throughout Scotland is something that is a cause of great concern to many of the population, and it appears that even local governments are finding it difficult to set a positive precedent when it comes to this issue.

“Here at Trust Deed Scotland, we deal with a huge number of clients on a daily basis, all whom have found themselves in serious financial difficulty in the recent past. It’s absolutely integral to the rehabilitation of these people that the right example is set by both Holyrood and Westminster in order to prevent the number of those in serious debt to continue to rise, but figures like this do very little to instil us with confidence that this change may be occurring.

THE Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is backing a call for an end to the current UK housing crisis.

The call came as thousands gatheed in London for the biggest housing rally in a generation which is called on all political parties to commit to ending the current UK housing crisis. (1) SFHA Chief Executive Mary Taylor and Chair Steve Delaney attended the rally, which had been organised by Homes For Britain (2), to highlight how the UK Government can help the situation in Scotland.

Mary Taylor, SFHA Chief Executive, said: “The housing crisis is not

unique to one part of the UK – it is UK-wide. There is a serious lack of affordable housing and people – especially young people – are getting trapped in the private rented sector, often paying expensive rents, and many have no prospect of living in a secure, warm, affordable home.

“Although housing policy is devolved in Scotland, the current and next UK Governments have a role to play in ending the crisis and all political parties must commit to this.

“Scotland desperately needs more affordable housing as there are currently 380,000 households on housing wait-

ing lists. Our members provide several types of affordable housing – including social rent, mid market rent and shared equity – and increasing the supply of all of these tenures will help to solve the housing crisis.

“The current UK Government can help to kick-start the process of solving the crisis by increasing capital investment in tomorrow’s Budget.

We are also calling on the party which forms the next UK Government to deliver a fair block grant settlement which, together with fiscal levers, will allow the Scottish Government to continue to invest in the supply of genuinely affordable warm green homes for all.”

Properties that must meet WESTMINSTER CUTS PLANNED SHQS by April 2015 NOT all properties in Scotland are directly affected by the SHQS deadline. Broadly speaking, about one quarter of all properties in Scotland must meet it by April 2015 and these are the properties of social housing landlords.

Other public sector landlords who rent out properties, such as universities, the armed forces etc., are not required to bring their properties up to SHQS but may have their own standards which they apply.

The following diagram shows where meeting SHQS is required and where it is not required: Who wrote this guidance?

The diagram of the house, showing all of the 55 elements and 9 sub-elements of SHQS that need to be addressed by April 2015, was prepared by the Social Housing Policy Division and Communities Analytical Services Division of the Housing, Regeneration and Commonwealth Games Directorate, Scottish Government.

It was compiled using information from the Technical Guidance on SHQS which was prepared in consultation with the Scottish Housing Regulator and a Technical Working Group consisting of social landlords nominated by the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Scottish Federation of Housing

Associations (SFHA).

Properties owned by owner -occupiers - Not required Properties owned by private sector landlords Not required Properties owned by non-social housing public sector landlords - Not required Properties owned by local authorities - Required by April 2015 Properties owned by Registered Social Landlords - Required by April 2015 Given that the technical guidance in particular has been written for social landlords, some people might find parts of the guidance difficult to follow. We therefore recommend that if social housing tenants wish to discuss any aspects of the SHQS they should first contact their landlord through the usual channels by telephone, email or in writing.

In addition, tenants may wish to approach their local Registered Tenants Organisation about SHQS as it is possible that they may have had discussions with landlords already on this subject, or may have discussions planned in the future. Landlords should be able to put tenants in touch with the relevant tenants’ organisations.

THE latest Westminster plans to cut Scottish Welfare were released in a report to Holyrood.

With families and single parents set to lose an estimated £960m a year, Trust Deed Scotland warns of the problems of taking out furthaer pay-day loans.

The coalition government’s latest welfare cuts are set to hit the poorest Scottish families the hardest, a report written from Sheffield Hallam University reveals.

The report was based on a study of how hard the various cuts will affect different families in Scotland, examining measures such as tax credit cuts, the child benefit freeze, housing benefit cuts and incapacity benefit reforms.

The report concludes that single parents stand to lose around £1800 a year, while couples with dependent chil-

Helen McGregor House, 65 Pettigrew Street, Shettleston, Glasgow G32 7XR. Telephone: 0141 763 0511 www.shettleston.co.uk

dren face cuts of around £1400 a year. Disabled claimants also look to suffer from these welfare cuts, and can expect to lose an average of £2000 of support a year. The report also states that by 2018 when the cuts start to bite deepest, single parents with more than one child will stand to lose £1850 of benefits a year.

Professor Steve Fothergill, a professor in Regional Economic and Social Research since 1992 and one of the authors of the report, said: “The very big impact on families with children, in particular, has been under the radar because it’s the cumulative result of several reforms. Coalition ministers have argued we’re all in this together. The impacts show this is far from the case.”

Trust Deed Scotland® takes a firm interest in this kind of report. A spokesperson for the

service has commented, saying “This study from Sheffield Hallam University raises a lot of concerns for the working people of Scotland.

Thousands of single parents across Scotland already face extra hurdles when it comes for caring for their children, and this report shows that rather than helping them, the government is set to increase their debts at a time when the cost of the weekly shop, childcare and housing are all rising.”

At times like this it’s important to remember that there are alternatives to high street pay day loans, which will only increase your level of debt. If any Scottish resident needs advice on how to manage their debt in these trying times and pay off their debt in a safe and affordable way

Tollcross Housing Association 84 Braidfauld Street Tollcross Glasgow, G32 8PJ

Tel: 0141 763 1317

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Political Forum

Dr Don’s View

your Member of the Scottish Parliament

Bob Doris MSP

The column which cuts though the garnish IT’S started. Six weeks to go and the junk mail is already coming through our doors and clogging up the hallways.

I have just received a party leaflet giving me 10 reasons for voting Labour.

Not only is it a partial re-run of their referendum utterances, but it is now laced with some of Jim Murphy’s policy on- thehoof statements.

These are not only littering the stony ground, the weeds are coming through.

Annoying is the fact that this leaflet cost £1.5M of taxpayer’s money.

If you were to believe half the promises the two main parties are offering for your vote, you would be branded naïve.

Soon, Labour, Liberal and even the Conservatives will be knocking on your door and stopping you in the street. Ask them two questions: “Where have you been for the last 5 years? ” and “Why have you not introduced these promises during the time you were in power?”

Take time out to listen to First Minister’s Question time on BBC Scotland, listen to questions and answers to questions from the parties in Holyrood, and judge for yourself who has Scotland’s best interests at heart.

Attend the candidate’s meetings if you can, and don’t be shy to voice your concerns. This is your moment.

You can almost discount what’s coming out from Labour and the Tories in England right now especially the budget.

Identify one specific budget measure which will improve your lifestyle in the next 6 months and you are a better man than I. All this budget has achieved has been a pre-emptive strike on measures which the Labour Party might have announced in the remaining few weeks till the election.

Even Ed Balls has had to admit they would not scrap any items announced in the Tory Budget. There’s a first!

It was poignantly noted by Ian Bell of the Herald that “everything forecasted in the budget to be implemented by the end of the next parliament was suppose to have happened by now “What price promises?

However, neither of the main parties will be in a position to implement anything without the support of the minor parties, and if the polls are correct, the SNP will no longer be a minority party.

Already there are numerous references to the anticipated increase in SNP MPs by both the main parties in heated exchanges in the Commons.

Name calling has abounded in the house with the use of words such as ‘pathetic’, ‘feeble’, ‘chicken’, ‘weak’, ‘despicable’ and ‘useless’.

When Cameron accused Miliband of trying to crawl through the gates of Downing St. on the coat-tails of the SNP, the sitting SNP members were seen to be enjoying what was described by Michael Settle of the Herald as a “smirkathon”.

I prefer Samuel Johnson’s comment “Ed Miliband is not only dull in himself, he is the cause of dullness in others”.

His latest utterance that he will not entertain any form of coalition with the SNP is not only a blatant example of procrastination, but you can see the agony in his face by having been forced into saying it, not only by his own party, but on insistence from Cameron. What kind of leadership is this?

I predict that, if the Labour Party find themselves on the verge of getting into 10 Downing St. you will see a faster U-turn than Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes to get SNP support.

The wording of the new working arrangement should prove interesting reading. However, across the aisle it is no better; there the Tory party are using economic statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts, more for support rather than illumination.

Now we have Cameron U-turning on his refusal to attend the TV debates.

I am glad the Parliament is over, Cameron was beginning to sound like a string pull doll.

In fact, I think we are seeing the stiff English upper lip sinking into the loose flabby cheeks of both main party leaders.

When the analysis of the budget cools down and Parliament dissolves on the 30th, the prospective candidates will hit the streets.

CROSSWORD ANSWERS Across 1. General 4. Sepia 7. Motto 9. Tangent 10. Insists 11. Ships 12. Amuse 14. Boxer 19. Asset 21. Incline 23. Cheetah 24. Raise 25. Layer 26. Younger

Down 1. Gambit 2. Notes 3. Latest 4. Songs 5. Precise 6. Artist 8. Oasis 13. Mystery 15. Occur 16. Parcel 17. Mighty 18. Meteor 20. Tutor 22. Icing

There will be many who are genuinely motivated to try and make the UK a better place to live in, but sadly, there will be an even greater number who will be hell- bent on saving their jobs.

If you care to read political history you will be appalled at the number of decisions taken by numerous parliaments which were taken with the singular intent of staying in power as opposed to improving the lives of their constituents.

The British political establishment is, for the first time in decades, running scared of the Scottish vote.

I am mindful of the comments of the Japanese Naval Commander Isoku Yamamato who, after the attack on Pearl Harbour stated “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with resolve.”

The defeat of the referendum awakened a new Scottish political giant.

No longer are we seen as wee terriers to be given a pat in the heid now and again and a wee biscuit to keep us quiet.

More now we are being seen ominously as ‘The Monarchs of the Glen.’

Hence all the latest attacks on everything Scottish.

The best thing the Scottish voter can do at this time is to ignore the statements, pledges and promises being issued almost daily by the two main parties and vote for who will influence Scotland’s needs and concerns.

However, I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, don’t be guided by the polls.

Only your vote will decide Scotland’s future. Make sure your vote is counted.

Watch this space Dr Don

For Glasgow Region [SNP]

Contact Bob Doris MSP

Constituency office: 3rd Floor, Empire House 131 West Nile Street Glasgow G1 2RX TWO contrasting visions for Scotland are becoming increasingly clear.

Last week the SNP Scottish Government launched a Carers Bill to better support the vital work our nation’s unpaid carers do.

The Carers Bill will improve support for both adult and young carers as well as establish local carer advice and information centres. Councils will need to publish local carer strategies to demonstrate they are doing more for them. Since coming to office the Scottish Government has invested around £114m to support carers.

It wishes to go further.

The message was clear, we may live in challenging financial times but we must continue to support those in need within our communities.

Contrast that with comments from David O’Neill, Labour’s most senior councillor in Scotland.

He said of universal services “those who propose it are behind the times”. It appears Labour’s ‘cuts commission’ is

0141 353 0784 bob.doris.msp@scottish.parliament.uk www.bobdoris.org twitter.com/GlasgowMSP facebook.com/bob.doris.msp

The cost of this advert has been met from parliamentary resources alive and well. Under Murphy and Miliband Labour would roll back the progress made in Scotland in recent years.

Universal services –such as not charging our sick and poorly for medicines or providing free and nutritious school meals to all p1-p3 children- are not ‘behind the times’ as Cllr O’Neill seems to suggest.

Such services indicate the kind of socially just and progressive Scotland that our communities wish to see.

It is staggering that the Labour Party has now become the party to roll back social progress, not advance it.

I suspect Labour are preparing themselves to implement the £30billion cuts they have signed up to, along with the Tories, should Labour win an overall majority.

The communities I represent do not care if the axe that slashes vital services is red or bluethey wish to see services protected and our vulnerable respected.

That is why Nicola Sturgeon, as Scotland’s First Minister, has outlined an alternative to aus-

terity. She has shown that with a modest 0.5% increase in expenditure an additional £180billion could be found for services and boost jobs across the UK. Significantly, this increase would still allow any UK Government to also reduce its national debt.

The SNP position blows apart the cosy Labour / Tory constant cuts consensus irrespective of social consequences.

As we approach the UK General Election there is a powerful alternative to austerity being offered by the SNP. With a hung parliament looking increasingly likely, it will be vital to get as many SNP MP’s to Westminster to make Scotland’s voice heard and to protect our communities from the sweeping cuts being proposed by out of touch UK parties.

That is why it is essential that our Glasgow SNP parliamentary candidates such as Natalie McGarry, Anne Mclaughlin and Partick Grady are elected to stand up for Scotland’s interests as part of a strong team of SNP MP’s at the forthcoming UK election.

WE WANT YOU!!!!

Your newspaper Your community We need your input Send us your news, stories and pictures Volunteer writers, reporters and photographers wanted to contribute on a regular basis email: info@thegenn.co.uk WHY SPEND £65 ON 5000 LEAFLETS? THE GENN OFFERS 18000 DISTRIBUTION, 35000 READERS FROM £50, LET THE PUBLIC KNOW YOUR SERVICES

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PEUGEOT’S LION BACKS GLASGOW’S TIGERS

CAR giant Peugeot has confirmed a major investment to support the speedway revolution taking place in Scotland’s largest city.

Glasgow Tigers’ first-ever permanent home will be named the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium.

The news comes on the eve of the 2015 speedway season and just as phase one of a £750,000 stadium redevelopment comes to fruition.

The Tigers were bought in December by Michael and Gerry Facenna, owners of specialist automotive manufacturer Allied Vehicles. As part of the deal, the brothers also bought Ashfield Stadium, home of Ashfield Athletic FC, where the Tigers were tenants.

The junior football side now play rent-free at the stadium, with Allied Vehicles also supporting them as main sponsor.

The future of these two Glasgow sporting institutions now looks bright thanks to a stable financial footing and the dramatic makeover of their shared ground. In just three months the stadium has been transformed with the renovation of both stands, creation of

new viewing areas, improved disabled facilities, new toilet blocks and a new reception building - housing the Pit Stop Cafe & Bar, Tigers shop and club museum.

The commitment and drive shown by the Facennas has also attracted support from a growing number of business sponsors.

However, the announcement of Peugeot’s involvement - its parent group, PSA Peugeot Citroen, is one of the world’s top 10 automotive giants - is seen as a major coup.

Stéphane Le Guevel, managing director of Peugeot UK, said: Peugeot has a long association with Allied and its established business converting wheelchair-accessible cars, minibuses and taxis and I am delighted to announce the expansion of this relationship.

“Peugeot is a pioneering brand, formed in 1810. Since its first car was built 126 years ago, it has sold over 60 million vehicles. It also won the first-ever recorded motorsport event in 1894 - 121 years ago.

“Over the years, Peugeot has become world-renowned for making cutting imple-

ments, grinders, then cycles, motorcycles, scooters and an extensive range of motor vehicles, so it is appropriate, through Allied Vehicles and the Facennas, that we support them and other forms of motorsport.”

Gerry Facenna said: “When my brother Michael and I decided to take on the challenge of saving speedway in Glasgow, we were determined to do it professionally. First and foremost this means providing much-improved facilities for spectators and competitors.

“That’s why it was so important first to acquire the stadium and then to create a modern sporting arena of which both speedway and Glasgow can be proud.

“Having Peugeot on board is a massive boost for the Tigers project and we’re delighted to have its support with the new Peugeot Ashfield Stadium.”

Facenna added that he is committed to building a winning speedway team, and to working with the football club and local partners to create further sporting facilities and youth development opportunities at Ashfield.

ROCKS EASTER BASKETBALL CAMP

GLASGOW Rocks annual Easter Basketball Camp is back – this year they’re aiming for the biggest one yet!

This year the Easter Camp will take place pre-game on April 5th – which ensures a great day of basketball for all the participants, with entry to the Rocks v London Lions game included!

The camp will run from 12:30-3:30pm on April 5th, on the Glasgow Rocks hardwood basketball court in the Main Arena.

The Spring Camp is open

to ages 6-18 years – and is open to all abilities, perfect if you’ve never picked up a basketball.

For just £25 each participant will receive: Exclusive Camp t-shirt 3 hours qualified basketball coaching Chance to meet the Glasgow Rocks players Child ticket to Glasgow Rocks v London Lions (tip-off 5pm) Our past 2 camps have sold out – don’t leave leave it to the last minute and miss out.

UPCOMING FIXTURES 1st Apr 2015 - Surrey United--Glasgow Rocks 3rd Apr 2015 - Glasgow Rocks--Plymouth Raiders 5th Apr 2015 - Glasgow Rocks--London Lions 10th Apr 2015 - Worcester Wolves--Glasgow Rocks 11th Apr 2015 - Bristol Flyers--Glasgow Rocks 15th Apr 2015 - Glasgow Rocks--Surrey United 17th Apr 2015 - Leeds Force--Glasgow Rocks 19th Apr 2015 - Plymouth Raiders--Glasgow Rocks

A PUBLIC RESPONSE TO GLASGOW GIRLS FC

Dear Editor Your threat to Glasgow Girls FC is nothing short of gross abuse of power by your newspaper.

The football club is a char-

2005 to establish their home

ity funded community project which benefits children in the northern east of Glasgow.

They the club have fought hard and campaigned since

park at budhill this location was piece of land which belonged to the community was under threat by unscrupulous councillors who wanted to sell

the ground to private housing developers this plan was opposed vigoriously by the people of the area who won their fight.

The gen(sic) which was or perhaps still is community funded should not be threatening this football club with the threat of not publishing the clubs games or activities which are substantial.

They have awards from Glasgow district council for excellence in the poor communitys of northeast glasgow & I see that the gen has similar awards congratulations to you for that achievement but you’re doing yourself a great injustice with your treatment of GGFC. I send this message with a hope that the gen (sic) reconsiders it’s threat to the club to boycott their matchs (sic) by not reporting on them.

If however you choose to continue with your boycott I

will take this matter to Glasgow district council & national newspapers with the intent of having the gen removed from community funding Yours sincerely William Keys

The GENN Says: The GENN would like to clarify a misunderstanding regarding sport reports and editorial The Glasgow Girls FC. A misunderstood our policy which led Glasgow Girls FC to believe that The GENN will only accept exclusive reports. This is not the case.

The GENN supports all local football clubs and admires that The Glasgow Girls strive for: more women on the field. Any and all scores, stories, features etc. will be welcome at The GENN but as we are a fortnightly publication we will not print what has already been reported and printed in a daily or week-

ly newspaper as we strive to keep our reports current and otherwise un reported news, this is also down to space restrictions.

The message in the email was that The GENN would prefer not to receive an exact copy of work given to another newspaper.

William Keys went to Twitter demanding an explanation with the tweet: obviously sent before looking at previous issues of the GENN and read the actual reports and support the GENN has shown to Glasgow Girls FC. Mr Keys was also mistaken in his belief that we receive any funding other than our advertising funded support.

Tom Scott prides his self on producing a fair and wide coverage of local sport and it is a sad day when his integrity or professionalism is brought into question on social media.

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CLUB NEWS...FEATURES...MATCH ACTION REPORTS SPECIAL...CALL 0141 552 9977 or email: sport@thegenn.co.uk

KOZ FOR CELEBRATION

THE wait for the new speedway season is almost over and Glasgow can now prepare fully for tapes up after Kozza Smith was finally granted permission to race in the UK this year.

The popular Australian, who turned 27 on March 20, has been given the green light on his visa application following a lengthy process that had run for most of the close season.

Smith started his journey to Britain on March 17 and joins

up with the Tigers in their new-look side.

In a message to fans, he said: “See you soon UK. Thanks to everyone that has helped towards getting it all sorted and thanks to my sponsors. Let the season begin.”

The former Berwick should make his debut when the action gets under way at Ashfield on Sunday, March 29, against Edinburgh Monarchs.

Smith had been forced to re-apply for his visa following

a change to the rules during the winter.

Tigers co-promoter Colin Hamilton is delighted that the Glasgow line-up is finally confirmed.

He said: “We always knew that Kozza was going to get the visa once we had gone through the process of re-applying for Glasgow’s licence, which we got, and then applying for Kozza under his circumstances.

“We managed to get that in time and he is flying to the UK before the end of this week.

We’re delighted about that.

“He’s eligible because of his average of 7.15 - the BSPA endorsed him. Last year was actually his 12-month cooling-off period - he didn’t come across last year, and that’s why he’s still eligible.

“I think he’ll be a really exciting racer. Plus, he’s known for entertaining the fans during and after the meetings - he gets involved with the crowd, which is one of the attractions of Kozza.

“But he has the ability to score big points. We want him to do and that’s what he wants to do as well. He is going to be a big asset to the team.”

Smith is joined by Richard Lawson, Nick Morris, Aaron Summers, Dimitri Berge, James Sarjeant and Victor Palovaara in the 2015 line-up, which was put together after the club was bought by businessmen Gerry and Michael Facenna of Allied Vehicles.

The brothers are currently undertaking a massive revamp of the Tigers’ Ashfield Stadium home, with work set to continue right up until the first day of the season.

RUGBY SEVENS RETURNS

TOLLCROSS TAEKWONDO KIDS AIMING FOR MORE SUCCESS

A TOLLCROSS-based martial arts club looks set for more domestic and international success Founded almost 20 years

ry in August.

This summer, around a dozen students will bid for different levels of black belts.

Their youngest member is

ago by Master Edward Tyrrell, a 5th Dan black belt, Little Egypt Glasgow East End Taekwondo currently operate two nights a week from Tollcross YMCA. The main focus is to learn self-defence, self-discipline and keep fit. Little Egypt will celebrate their 20th anniversa-

13-year-old Joshua Mullen, who is hoping to gain his second dan.

Said Edward: “Since its growth the club has been successful in many areas. From students entering competitions for sparring, the artistic side patterns to winning various gold, silver and bronze

medals.

“Students who started at the tender age of 8 years old still train today in the category of early twenties.

“Lucy Barre and Jennifer McCarthy train and are part of the Scottish team.”

As a member of the British Taekwondo and World Taekwondo Federation - the latter is based in South Korea – Little Egypt proudly boast a wide range of ages, 1st dans to 3rd dans, plus lower grades.

Classes cater for children, adults and beginners, which highlights they are at the heart of the local community.

In keeping with the family-feel around the club, Edward’s 9-year-old, Erin, trains alongside Mr Scott Barre, his children and other parents.

Taekwondo classes take place every Tuesday and Wednesday evening at Tollcross YMCA - 6.30pm/7.15pm (age 5 upwards), 7.15pm/8pm (14-16 years), and 8pm/9pm (adults).

Edward Tyrrell added: “If anyone is interested they are more than welcome to come along and join us.”

‘HOUSE CREATE CUP HISTORY

The Emirates Airline Glasgow 7s returns to Scotstoun on the 9 & 10 May 2015!

Enjoy a whole weekend of thrilling international sevens rugby performed to the back drop of live music, entertainment, fancy dress and general

fun! So whether you’re a party goer or attending with the family you’ll have a blast!

The Emirates Airline Glasgow 7s is one of a series of nine international sevens tournaments held around the world, at the end of which an overall

winning country is crowned World Sevens Champions.

The Scotland 7s team competes at all nine events, beside all the world’s great rugby nations – including New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, France and England!

BROOMHOUSE F.C. havereached the Quarter-Finals of the Fosters Scottish Cup for the first time in their short amateur history.

Goals from inspirational captain Kevin Kilday and onform striker David Omozik capped a 2-1 comeback victory against Blantyre Celtic.

In an evenly matched Round 7 clash, both teams quickly demonstrated their attacking prowess, but we had to wait until the second half for the breakthrough.

Celts worked a clever corner-kick ploy and their No 6 crashed the ball past Don Scott from 20 yards.

Broomhouse took time to recover their confidence from that body-blow, and Kilday proved central defenders can possess skill in the attacking third of the park, when he collected a clearance following a corner, turned and curled the ball beyond the reach of the Blantyre ‘keeper.

Minutes later, a lighting attacking move saw Da-

vid Omozik finish off David Quinn’s pinpoint crossball.

Broomhouse goalkeeper Don Scott denied Celtic a late equaliser, while Quinn and Omozik went close at the other end.

Finally, an overdue mention for Fife referee Alistair Watt, who kept a keenly-contested game under control, whilst making sure the red car remained in his pocket.

Mr Watt rightly earned after-match praise from both clubs.

CLUB NEWS...FEATURES...MATCH ACTION REPORTS SPECIAL...CALL 0141 552 9977 or email: sport@thegenn.co.uk

34

GENN

FOCUS: GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL FINNART SET FOR EASTER CUP

BUDHILL Football Academy 2009 Orange Squad and their coaches.

WELCOME to a brand new sports feature. Over the coming weeks we aim to focus on small-sided, non-competitive football, and give teams/ clubs a much-needed platform in terms of publicity.

Where possible, we will include a photograph. Send your information to the Sports Desk c/o sport@thegenn.co.uk BUDHILL FOOTBALL ACADEMY. Round-Up: 2004 Orange- lost a very close game.

2004 White - good start according to their coaches.

2005 Orangenarrow match defeat.

2005 White - same report from their coach.

2006 Orange- first game at 7’s level, and a very respectable draw.

2007 Orange -won five games.

2007 White - won two and lost three.

2007 Yellow - two wins, two defeats and one draw.

2008 Orange- four wins.

2008 White - two wins and three defeats.

2009 Orange - three wins and one defeat.

2009 Yellow - defeated in five games.

SECOND PROGRAMME: 2003 - Won 6-5.

2004 Orange - lost 5-0.

2004 White - won 5-0.

2005 Orange - lost 7-5.

2005 White - won 10-0.

2006 - won 7-5.

BUDHILL Football Academy have secured four new

strip sponsors - Absolute Gas Services, 1st Choice Homes, Clydegrove Financial Group, and Active East.

Great to see these companies becoming involved, and providing much-needed support for these excellent youngsters.

Having seen first-hand what 40-plus voluntary coaches bring to the table, they deserve more local help.

Chairman Billy McNaught tells me they have designed a club key ring in their colours.

Thanks to great work by Secretary Claire Lindsay and Mandi Brown, they are selling well at £1.50p.

All monies raised will go Academy funds.

RESULTS round-up from the Finnart teams.

FIRST PROGRAMME: 2007. Four wins. Game 1 -Jack Marr (4), Aiden Coll (3), Callum Blair (3). Top Player – Jack Marr.

Game 2 -Zach Fenwick (3), Jack Marr (3), Aiden Coll (2), Callum Blair. Top Player – Aiden Coll.

Game 3 - Aiden Gallagher, Aiden Sinclair, Riley Milliken, Mason McCausland, and Top Player Dylan Haining (6).

Game 4 - Star Player Aiden Gallagher (5), Mason McCausland (3), Dylan Haining, Aiden Sinclair, Riley Milliken and an own goal.

2008. Won three and lost one.

2006. Played and lost.

2005. Game 1 - 3-3. Scott

McEwan (3), Game 2 - 5-1.

Top Player Jay Anderson (4), Matthew Brannigan.

2004 - Played and won two. Game 1 - 3-0. Thomas Reid (2), Ryan Smith. Game 2. 6-3. Ryan Smith (2), Gary Watson, Jay Gordon, Thomas Reid, Dylan Bird.

2003. Played and lost two.

SECOND PROGRAMME: 2003. Game 1 - 7-1. John Burke (2), Lucas Chambers, Jamie Avery, Cody Kerr, Liam Hagan, Guy Bullock. Game 2 - 4-5. Connor Boyce (2), Nathan Steele, Jay Murray.2004.

Game 1 -1-1. Thomas Reid.

Game 2 – 2-3. Jamie Riordon, Player of the Day Thomas Reid. 2005. Game 1 - 3-4.

Matthew Brannigan, Scott McEwan (2).

Game 2 - 4-1. Jay Anderson, Rudi Peden, Cruz Wilson, Matthew Brannigan.

2006. Game 1 - 1-3. Leon Power.

Game 2 – 0-3.

2007 Team A. Game 1 – 114. Jack Marr (6), Aiden Coll (2), Zach Fenwick (2), Top Player Shaun Fredrickson.

Game 2 – 14-2. Top Player Zach Fenwick (5), Jack Marr (4), Aiden Coll (2), Shaun Fredrickson (2), Callum Blair.

Team B. Game 1 - 13-3.

Aiden Gallagher (4), Marr (4), Riley Milliken (2), Mason McCausland (3). Top Player - Dylan Haining.

Game 2 – 12-3. Top Player Jack Marr (5), Riley Milliken (4), Mason McCausland, Dylan Haining, Aiden Gallagher.

Special mention to goalkeeper Ruari Kenny, who played in all four games due to the absence of Robbie Kenney.

2008 Mini Kickers.

Game 1 - 2-0. Star Player Millen Kerr (2).

Game 2 - 4-0. Millen Kerr (2), Star Player David Glackin, and an own goal.

Game 3 - 0-0.

Game 4 - 4-0. Millen Kerr (3), Lewis Lindsay.

Star Players - Oscar Kowalky and Millen Kerr.

The 2008’s are learning new things, and improving their game every week.

Coaches are impressed with the way boys work as a team.

The feeling is they can only improve more in the weeks ahead.

THE GENN SPORTS FEEDBACK

Hi Tom, Had a look on line initially at the GENN (issue 150).

Top stuff yet again. Well

chuffed with the coverage our club received.

I am starting to believe it is becoming our paper!! Keep up

the excellent work.

Thank you, Jamie McGowan, Coach, Finnart 2000 age group.

PAUL McLEAN was the winner of a draw for the Scotland shirt worn by midfielder James McArthur against Germany last year. The sum of £300 was raised by Finnart from this item alone, and will help send three teams to the Easter Blackpool Cup. BRIDGETON-based Finnart Boys’ Club have been handed a welcome cash boost ahead of sending three teams to the Easter Blackpool Cup.

Scotland and Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur donated a jersey worn against Germany in last year’s away Euro Qualifier.

Paul McLean, a former team-mate of James in the Hamilton Accies youth and reserve team set-up, was the winner from a football card, which pulled in the superb sum of £300!

Under-15 Finnart coach Jamie McGowan told GENN Sport: “We had a great night, and I want to thank Bridgeton Community Centre for staging the fund-raiser and supporting the local team once again.

“Food was supplied by The Spice Grill, Calton. With the likes of curries and pizza pakora, our followers thought the quality and display of the dishes were superb!

“Finally, we want to say a huge thanks to the parents again for their support and also the donations of raffle prizes. They were excellent.” * Finnart 2000 team have received a letter of thanks from Asda, Parkhead, after they donated £150 to their Tickled Pink Breast Cancer Campaign, following this month’s in-store bagpack.

Sent by Community Life Champion John Flannigan it reads: “Your kind gesture is appreciated for the charity, and we look forward to working with you in the future.

“We would like to wish you every success in your Blackpool tournament, and for the remainder of the season.”

WINTER CARPET BOWLS

HOLDERS Garrowhill have retained the Top 10 Competition Trophy, writes JACK HIGH. The final was split over two weeks, and Garrowhill defeated Springboig 8-0.

TOP 10 ROUND-UP: RESULTS: First Round - Shettleston 2, Springboig 6;Mount Vernon 2, North British 6;Sandyhills had a walkover against Whitevale, who scratched due to shortage of players.

Bye - holders Garrowhill.

Semi-Finals - Garrowhill6, Sandyhills 2; North British4,

Springboig 4 (Springboig won their help in keeping GENN on shots, 30-29). readers up-to-date with fixtures Final – Garrowhill 8, Springand results from the latest winboig 0. ter campaign, which included I would like to thank Ian Col- the league, individual competiligan and Donald McCallum for tions, and Top 10 event.

FINAL WINTER LEAGUE PLACINGS 2015 P

W

D

L

F

A

Shettleston

36

25

0

11

288

158

Pts 50

Garrowhill

36

19

2

15

304

192

40

North British

36

19

2

15

234

217

40

Springboig

36

14

4

18

199

273

32

Whitevale

36

14

3

19

191

229

31

Sandyhills

36

15

1

20

168

236

31

Mount Vernon

36

12

4

20

193

263

28

GENN SPORT - INSIDE TRACK

LENZIE Youth Club are looking for East End teams to enter their 30th Football Festival on Saturday, June 13.

Four x 40 minute games, Plate and Cup finals are in the programme. Call 07818096752 A DEFENSIVE midfield player (born 2002) is needed

by Rossvale Thistle, who train twice- weekly.

The player should have previous experience of a club environment.

Contact 07530201043 or 07545391008.

HAGHILL A.F.C. have limited seats available on a coach travelling to their Cup final at Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium.

Transport departs at 5.30pm from the Lea Rig Bar, Cumbernauld Road.

Haghill A.F.C. are sponsored

by Milnbank Housing Association. Good luck lads!

RESULTS from the Fosters Scottish Amateur Sunday Trophy, Quarter-Finals: Broxburn 2, Fairfield Sports and Leisure 3; Cellar Bar A.F.C. 1, Harvester A.F.C. (holders) 6; Cranhill United A.F.C. 3, Castlemilk Dynamo 2; Dalkeith A.F.C. 1, Cross Tavern 1 (5-3 on pens) Semi-Final Draw;Cranhill v Dalkeith, and Harvester A.F.C. v Fairfield Sports and Leisure.

TYNECASTLE A.F.C. have resigned former goalkeeper Allan Gilfillan.

LIAM FINNIGAN made a scoring debut (82 minutes) coming off the bench against Cumnock - following his transfer from Petershill Juniors to Irvine Meadow.

SHETTLESTON Juniors

Kids Academy teams, born 2003, 2004 and 2005, have places for new players.

Email: tracy@shettlestonjuniorsfootballclub. co.uk DRAW for the Quarter-Finals of the SWPL League Cup is: Hibernian v Spartans; Inverness City v Aberdeen; holders Glasgow City F.C. v Hutchison Vale; Stirling University v Celtic.

GLASGOW Girls F.C. have drawn Dunfermline in the SWFL 1st Division League Quarter-Finals. CELTIC Academy play Hibernian Development.

CALEDONIAN Amateur League Select held the Lothian and Edinburgh Select to a 1-1 draw at Dalziel Park. Caley scorer was David Grant (Milton A.F.C.).

CLUB NEWS...FEATURES...MATCH ACTION REPORTS SPECIAL...

CALL 0141 552 9977 or email: sport@thegenn.co.uk

35

GENN

CLUB NEWS...FEATURES...MATCH ACTION REPORTS SPECIAL...CALL 0141 552 9977 or email: sport@thegenn.co.uk

AROUND THE GREENS MATCH ACTION REPORTS

GLASGOW North Eastern Bowling League held a very informative Annual General Meeting at Garrowhill, writes JACK HIGH. Mr Alex Morrison had previously intimated he was standing down as Secretary.

There were no volunteers to take over, but Mr John Gaffney (Garrowhill) offered to join the league committee, and shadow Alex for a year before taking over what is a key position.

Mr Morrison agreed to stay on for another season, and this was fully accepted by the members.

Only Springburn were absent from a list of 20 clubs.

Their Secretary could not attend due to work commitments.

Douglas Wilson (Mount Vernon) stands down after 10 years’ service, and was

thanked for all his efforts.

Drew Wilson (North British) remains as Treasurer, with John Gaffney and Alistair Dick (Rutherglen) elected as directors.

The league season will commence on Friday, May 1.

Clubs are reminded to ensure ALL weekly results are given to Alex Morrison in order GENN Sport can cover both Division 1 and Division 2.

North British will stage the Jubilee Finals on Sunday, September 13. Starting time 2pm.

IAN BEATTIE is the new SHETTLESTON Secretary following their Annual General Meeting.

Other leading officials: President - Robert Lawson.

Vice-President – Danny McKenna.

Assistant Secretary - Ricky Cochrane. Treasurer - Ian Colligan. Assistant Treas-

urer – Stevie Maley. Ex-Officio - Alex Gray.

GARROWHILL Ladies Section staged a very successful Charity Day on March 11.

Around 110 people attended on a morning of heavy rain.

The usual attractions – including Home Baking, Tombola, andRaffles - were very well supported.

A total of £1600 was raised.

Ladies President, Irene Whitelaw, and her committee put in a power of work at these events, and I understand a second charity day is scheduled for October.

Garrowhill Ladies Opening Day is on Sunday, April 19.

NORTH BRITISH play Shettleston in a friendly on Saturday. April 18, and SHETTLESTON entertain Milton of Campsie the following Saturday (April 25).

LSK SUPPLIES WEST YOUTHS LSK West of Scotland Cup, Round Two - Maryhill Juniors 2, Kirkie Rob Roy Juvs 4.

Round Three - Gleniffer2, Giffnock SC 1; Campsie Black Watch 2, Antonine 0; Baillieston Juniors 3, Pollok Juvs 0; Crookston1, Harmony Row 1 (3-4 on pens); Bonnyton or Rossvale v Bishopton; E.K. Rolls Royce 2, Goldenhill 2 (7-8 on pens); Tower Hearts 0, Port Glasgow B.C. 1; Johnstone Burgh 5, Vale of Leven 1.

Round 4 - Johnstone Burgh 0, Goldenhill 4.

Birdston Kennels League Cup, Quarter-Finals - Rossvale 0, Bonnyton 3; Goldenhill v Harmony Row; Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers 1, Rutherglen Glencairn 0; Tower Hearts or E.K. Rolls Royce v Baillieston Juniors.

Second Round - Antonine 1, Wishaw W Wanderers 3; Pollok 1, Baillieston 4.

Birdston Kennels Glasgow Cup, Quarter-Finals – Rosebank 3, Renfrewshire Thistle 2; Barrhead Arthurlie 0, Giffnock

S.C. 8; Maryhill Juniors v Albion Rovers; St Mirren 0, Bishopton 4.

Round One - Maryhill 2, Calderhill 1.

Round Two - Maryhill 2, West Park 1.

Only Sport League Cup, Quarter-Finals - St Mirren 3, Bishopton 2; Renfrewshire Thistle 3, Castlemilk B.C. 2 ; Holytown Colts v Calderhill; Erskine2, West Park 7.

Only Sport Golden Goals Cup. Second Round- Eastwood 5, Glencairn 5 (4-5 on pens); Rossvale v Pollok; Antonine bye;Steins 4, Glasgow University 0; Port Glasgow or Kirkie Rob Roy Juvs v EKFC or Claremont; Baillieston Juniors 2, Johnstone Burgh 1; Goldenhill Boys’ Club 3, Tower Hearts 2; E.K. Rolls Royce 1,Kirkie Rob Roy 21s 1.

Premier Division - Campsie 2, Baillieston Juniors 4; Bonnyton 5, Antonine 1; Bonnyton 0, Harmony Row 2; Goldenhill 5, St Peters Giffnock North 0; Campsie 0, Tower Hearts 3.

First Division - Sauchie 3, EKFC 2; Kirkie Rob Roy 21s 3, Port Glasgow 1; Victoria F.C. 0, Sauchie 8; Victoria F.C. 2, Eastwood 2; Pollok Juvs 0, Claremont 0; Second Division - Albion Rovers 1, Bishopton 7; Castlemilk 7, Westfield 3; Gleniffer 2, Erskine 0; Albion Rovers 1, St Mirren 2; Maryhill Juniors 4, Calderhill 3; West Park 9, Erskine 0; Third Division - Milngavie 2, Dumbarton 0; Broomhill 0, Crookston 3; St Andrews 0, Holytown Colts 9; Dumbarton 0, Milngavie 2; Giffnock S.C. 1, Broomhill 4; Holytown Colts 2, Bridgend 0.

Trans World Soccer Scottish Under-21 Cup- Quarter-Finals -Rossvale 2, St Peters Giffnock North 2; Wishaw W Wanderers 0, West Park United 0; Antonine 4, Baillieston Juniors1; Harmony Row Y.C. 1, St Mirren 1. Replays - St Mirren 1, Harmony Row 3; West Park 4, Wishaw W Wands 3. St Peters G.N. 1, Rossvale 0.

TRANS WORLD SCOTTISH CUP Scottish Youth Football Association.

SEMI-FINALS: Under-13 - Jerviston v Tynecastle; Banks O’Dee 12, Mill United 0.

Under-14 - Tynecastle v Rangers SABC; Newcraighall

Leith v Broomhill.

Under-15 - Crosshouse v Banks O’Dee; Hamilton Accies v Renfrew Vics.

Under-16 - Hillwood BC v Spartans Red; Hutchison Vale v Knightswood Boys’ Club.

Under-17 - Rossvale Thistle

v Leith Athletic; Lewis United v Syngenta.

Under-19 - East End United v Clydebank; TynecastleF.C. 1, Broxburn Athletic Colts 2.

Under-21 - Harmony Row v Antonine ; West Park Unitedv St Peters G.N.

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FINNART A.F.C. 2, KINGS PARK AMATEURS 0.

COMFORTABLE win for the home sideas they went top of the SAFL. Man of the Match Kieran Malloy gave them the lead, and Philip Blair added a second half counter.

WEST PARK UNITED 9, BUDHILL FOOTBALL ACADEMY 0.

THE 2002 age group were up against a very good United team.

CAMPSIE BLACK WATCH 2, BAILLIESTON JUNIORS 4.

CAMPSIE went ahead through Jordan McGrotty, but Ton replied four times before McGrotty netted his own second at Lenzie Academy.

AIKENHEAD THISTLE 1, POSTAL UNITED 2.

DOUBLE from Murdoch at Kirklee Park.

CARLUKE ROVERS 3, MARYHILL JUNIORS 1.

ONLY Central District First Division match to survive overnight heavy rain.

Watt and Murphy put Rovers into a 2-0 half-time lead.

Smillie added a third before ‘Hill grabbed a consolation goal.

ALBION ROVERS 0, MARYHILL JUNIORS 3.

UNDER-21 league game.

Conor Campbell with a hat-trick.

MARYHILL JUNIORS 6, ERSKINE 2.

DOUBLES from Michael MacKay and Thomas Clark, alongside Under-21 efforts from Conor Campbell and Ross Fleming.

MARYHILL JUNIORS 1, ST PETERS 1.

UNDER-16 league.

A tremendous volley from Reegan Shearer gave ‘Hill a deserved lead.

On the half-hour, the home defence switched off at a throw-in, and Saints equalised.

RANGERS SABC 1, ROSSVALE MADRID 2.

MADRID Under- 14s came from behind after Wilson put wind-assisted ‘Gers ahead.

Sharp equalised with a shot into the corner of the net, and Wilson grabbed the winner via a spot kick following handball.

CRESSWELL LANE 3, TYNECASTLE A.F.C. 6.

THIRD Round of the Walker Gas Services Strathclyde Cup. The victory sends Tynie into the Quarter-Finals.

CASTLEMILK A.F.C. 5, CRANHILL UNITED A.F.C. 3.

BARLIA was the venue for this surprise league result.

Cranhill conceded three poor goals early on.

Craig Scott pulled one back from a Gary Rae free kick (26 mins), Trialist netted 14 minutes later, and Rae reacted quickly following Scott’s headflick as the teams prepared for the interval refreshments.

Second half, Castlemilk stung Cranhill 11 minutes from time, and with the visitors pushing forward, sprung a counter-attack which gave them their fifth on 82 minutes.

LINWOOD A.F.C. 3, BROOMHOUSE F.C. 4.

WEST of Scotland Amateur Cup Round Four.

The home team were stretched to the limit pre-match and could only start with ten men.

Upon the arrival of another player

(29 mins) Linwood went ahead due to some calamitous Broomhouse defending. Scorer Tom Smith.

Mark Anderson cleared off the line and another Linwood attempt hit the post before Smith crashed home his own second of the game (half-time).

Broomhouse striker David Omozik turned the cup-tie completely with goals after 52 and 58 minutes, but Linwood were far from finished, and Tom Smith completed a superb hat-trick 10 minutes later.

David Quinn hit the game’s sixth goal after 77 minutes, and the same player managed to take advantage of a poor goalkeeper’s throw-out for what proved to be the winner seven minutes from time.

You could say quite a remarkable cup game! * Apparently that was Linwood’s last game together.

HAGHILL A.F.C. 4, ROLLING BARREL 1.

TWO goals from Richard Perriss, plus singles by William McArthur and Gareth May sent Haghill into the League Cup Semi-finals.

Marc Murphy was named Man of the Match.

AYRSHIRE A.F.L. 2, CENTRAL SCOTTISH A.F.L. 0.

HURLFORD star Liam Steele made sure Ayrshire retained the John Smith Trophy with goals in 39 and 65 minutes.

F.C. BAILLIESTON 0, WINDLAW 10.

FOUR-goal Danny McDonagh was Man of the Match against a depleted Baillieston side, who trailed 2-0 at the break.

FINNART 16, OLD FIRM ALLIANCE 0.

ONE-WAY traffic in the GADYFL Under-16 level.

Alliance could only field 11 players by kick-off time, but unfortunately injuries and fatigue further reduced them to nine players.

The referee finally called a halt 15 minutes from time.

Scorelines like this one don’t happen very often, and it must be extremely hard to tell players not to put the ball in the opposition net when such circumstances prevail.

Finnart goalscorers: Ryan Martin (3), Sean McCourt (3), David Fraser (3), Kyle Campbell (2), Dom Reynolds, Marc Ainslie, Kian O’Neil, Aiden Traynor, and Rhys McLuskey.

SHETTLESTON 1, AUCHINLECK TALBOT 4 TEN-man Town made their Quarter-Final exit from the Dyslexia Scotland Scottish Junior Cup at Greenfield Park.

Dwayne Hyslop (32 mins) gave Talbot an interval lead.

Ricky McIntosh powered home a header after 56 minutes, but five minutes later Ally Park restored Auchinleck’s advantage.

Substitute Mark Shankland made it 3-1 and Town skipper Reon Juskowiak was red carded in the aftermath.

David Gormley made it 4-1 from a Boyd pass.

BEITH 3, PETERSHILL 4.

DOUBLES from Kieran Daw and Michael Daly won the points as both teams had a player sent off.

Scorers: McLean (30), Christie (49, 50). Daw (22, 86 pen), Daly

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(36,82).

VALE OF CLYDE 3, BELLSHILL ATHLETIC 8.

TABLE- toppers Athletic went a goal down after 5 minutes at Tollcross, but hit back in style with the kind of football which could lead them to the title.

Four goals in a 14 minute spell from Nicol, McCarry, McGrath and Brady proved conclusive before the interval. Tart (2), Dolan and Connelly completed their eightsome reel.

BLANTYRE VICS 6, ASHFIELD 0.

BOTTOM-of- the-table Ashfield had already shipped 56 league goals in 15 games (1 win) before this hammering at Castle Park. Kirkwood (3), Green (2) and Galt.

LESMAHAGOW 0, MARYHILL JUNIORS 4.

DESPITE the loss of their management duo (Brian Heron and George Wall), Maryhill responded with a smash-hit display.

Begg, Monaghan, Callender and Furay netted.

GLASGOW PERTHSHIRE 4, ROSSVALE 3.

‘SHIRE brought Second Division champs ‘Vale back down to earth and kept their own slim promotion hopes alive.

Scorers: Begg, Tait, J.P.Craig and Glass.

BLOCHAIRN STAR 0, TYNECASTLE A.F.C. 3.

BIG away victory against the most successful club in the history of Strathclyde Saturday Morning League Football history.

Cochrane, Taylor and McGlinchey on the goal trail.

HARESTANES 5, POSTAL UNITED 0.

THE visitors’ started well, but ended up with a heavy league defeat.

KIRKINTILLOCH MINERS WELFARE 3, WELLHOUSE A.F.C. 5.

FIRST Round of the M and M Trophy. Paul Ross (2), Thomas Sinclair, Lewis Stewart and Kieron Galloway.

KELVINDALE THISTLE 1, FINNART 5.

MAN of the Match Persley Sojila steered the 2000 team to a fine league win.

Jamie McGowan and Jordan Wright shot them into a 2-0 lead.

The home side hit back, but Kenneth Crampsie restored their twogoal cushion from the penalty spot (3-1 half-time).

Paul McGroarty and Connor McKenzie’s 35 yard free kick completed the scoring.

EAGLESHAM 1, FINNART 1 (5-4 on pens).

FIRST Round defeat for the Amateurs in the Jimmy Marshall Cup. Scorer: Brian Blair.

HUTCHISON VALE 0, GLASGOW CITY F.C. 5.

OPENING league game for last season’s champions and Susan Fairlie put City ahead on 14 minutes after a Montgomery shot crashed back off the bar. Justbefore half-time, Suzanne Lappin netted a second and Abbi Grant made it 3-1 after 61 minutes.

Eight minutes later, Suzanne Lappin lashed home from the edge of the area following good work by Fairlie and substitute Leanne Ross.

The same player completed her hat-trick on 80 minutes with a bullet header.

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Basic Funeral £2095 Shettleston Branch 1157-1159 Shettleston Road Glasgow, G32 7NB

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SAPPHIRE SPARKLE IN FUTURE PLANNING

OVER four years of dedication, hard work and patience has paid off for the Sapphire Gymnastics Club - and they have plenty of ambitions still to achieve in their planning schedule.

In January, a purpose-built 16,000 sq ft facility was officially opened on Maryhill’s Lochburn Road – thought to be the largest in the West of Scotland - and organisers aim to increase members’ numbers from over 300 to 600 by Christmas.

What makes this success story all the more incredible is Founder Catriona Lessani, from Bargeddie, originally started out without any sporting background, knowledge or ideas on running a club.

Now over 20 hours a week of her time is taken up looking after young gymnasts, overseeing sessions and attracting funding.

Catriona’s two daughters, Jasmine and Danielle, were previously part of another set-up, but were of the opinion it was not being run properly for the benefit of gymnasts.

Awarded sportscotland volun-

teer of the year in 2013, Catriona revealed: “We hired Sharon Forsyth from Cameo Gymnastics Club (Coatbridge) to train them in the first year until we were able to build up numbers in the club “Now we have fully qualified and trainee coaches, a satellite club in Beith Road, Johnstone (twice weekly), and over 40 classes here.

“Our club is a non-profitable organisation, and we have a voluntary executive management committee who make all the decisions regarding coaches, hall lets, administration and grants.

“We promised the gymnasts that our club would be run differently from other clubs and they would have a 50/50 say in what happens here. As promised, they picked the name of the club, designed the club leotard, t-shirt, tracksuits, music for their routines and festivals they attend.

“Although Sapphire have been involved with many competitions, it is completely dedicated to the need of every individual gymnast.

GOALKEEPERS at Boys’ Club, Amateur or Junior Football level for specialist winter coaching sessions under floodlights at New Petershill Park. To pre-register, please call 07403452960.

BUDHILL Football Academy (East End) are offering Football For Girls in four new age group teams.

Call them as follows: Under-15 - 07876128464, Under-13 - 07554232193, Under-11 – 07960344563, and Under-9 - 07734919930.

BUDHILL Football Academy 2003 team are moving up from 7-a-side to 11-a-side football, and will be signing new players. Call 07453306788.

BUDHILL Football Academy are in a position to offer specialist goalkeeping coaching on a weekly basis, and would like to hear from any parent/guardian who has a boy seeking a club - from born 2003 and younger (see other groups below).

Call Academy Head Coach on 07453306788.

BUDHILL Football Football have spaces in other age groups for new talent. Contact numbers are listed. Boys born 2009 – 07515888624. Boys born 2008 – 07534522141. Boys born 2007 - 07412964163. Boys born 2005 07765538006.

FINNART need goalkeepers born 2003 and and 2006. Call Jamie Marr at 07903886708.

SHETTLESTON Juniors Football Coaching Academy require players in a variety of different age groups.

Email: tracy@shettlestonjuniorsfootballclub.co.uk. Coaches are also required.

BELLGROVE A.F.C. are seeking players for their Sunday Amateur League squad. Training takes place on a Thursday evening (7pm-9pm).

Official Steven McCallum is also looking for players next season for Saturday morning games (10am), and Sunday afternoon fixtures (2pm).

Call 07821478779 or email: bellgroveafc@gmail.com

PLAYERS WANTED

2 pairs of glasses for £49

SAPPHIRE Gymnastics Club have a wide range of equipment and facilities available at 26 Lochburn Road, Maryhill.

“We have a large number of 11-22 year-old girls who are in our display team and are all role modelsfor our Junior gymnasts, who all want to be like them.”

Numerous awards and success storiesare part Sapphire’s history.

The list includes Club of the

Month, Club of the Year awards, organising their ownEaster, Summer and October camps, Christmas displays, winning festivals.

The Lochburn Road facility can be hired by other clubs - not just in terms of gymnastics - and Sapphire want to reach out to

DARLING CUP

TWO LSK-sponsored West of Scotland Under-21 League clubs were knocked out the National Lady Darling Cup Semi-Finals.

RESULTS- Rutherglen Glencairn 3, Victoria F.C. 1, and Bishopton 0, Musselburgh Windsor 3.

QUEEN’S HELD

SCOTTISH Amateur Football Association Select held Queen’s Park to a 1-1 draw in their friendly at Lesser Hampden.

Good work by Andy Dor-

rans set-up John Paul Grant for the opening goal on 13 minutes.

Ten minutes later, Ryan Hynes equalised for the hosts with a right-foot shot.

‘ KEEPER SEARCH

R E C E N T LY- f o u n d e d B a rg ed d i e A . F. C .

A re s ea rc hi n g f o r a n ex p er i enc ed a d u l t g o a l keep er t o

j o i n t hem i n t he S t r a t hc l y d e S a t urd a y Mo r ni ng L ea g u e nex t s ea s o n . Call 07854032058.

NORTH BRITISH Bowling Club Junior Section would like to attract new members

when their outdoor season opens on Saturday, April 18 at 10am.

the local community in terms of nurseries, mothers and toddlers groups’, pre-school, dance organisations, seminars and coaching sessions.

Local Primary and High Schools would be able to access the club for taster sessions in gymnastics, which at present

can’t be organised or taught due to teachers not being trained in this specialised sport.

Over the coming months, Sapphire will continue with additional plans, and these will undoubtedly add to their outstanding reputation. We wish them every success.

LAST-EIGHT DATES SWFL 1st Division League Cup Quarter-Finals have been listed for Sunday, April 12.

Second Division League Cup Third Round pairings take place the same afternoon.

BIG RACE NIGHT FOXLEY Bowling Club committee and members will be out in force for theirbig Race

Night on on Saturday (March 28).

The action starts at 7.15pm.

TIGERS’ ROAR GLASGOW Tigers Speedway hope to start the new season with aroar in the first-leg of the Spring Trophy against Edin-

burgh Monarchs at the newly refurbished Ashfield Stadium on Sunday, March 29.

Tapes go up at 3pm.

JUNIOR BOWLERS ANNUAL MEETING

FREE HOME EYE TESTS AVAILABLE

Duke Street

STRATHCLYDE Saturday Morning Amateur Football League will hold their An-

Tollcross

465 Duke St G31 1RD

1014 Tollcross Road G32 8UW

0141 554 8886

0141 778 5662

(Next to Coia’s Cafe)

nual General Meeting at Hampden Park on Monday, June 1.

(Next to Greggs)

FREE EYE TESTS AVAILABLE SIMPLY CALL NEAREST BRANCH FOR APPOINTMENT

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