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1. Please note this most important event if you are free at this short notice. It is organmised by the West of Scotland Racial Equality Council and the Glasgow Community Planning Partnership. Board members will attend but all are welcome to discuss Community Planning and clearly our Project is a central aspect of community planning in Govanhill.
COMMUNITY VOICES IN GOVANHILL
Wednesday 12th of December 2007
12.30-3.00pm
Dixon Halls
656 Cathcart Road
Glasgow, G42 8AA
2. Come Sing With Us: Soup, Song and a Swally This Sunday!
The December Soup, Song and a Swally takes place this Sunday, December 16 at McNeils on Torrisdale Street off Victoria Road. You can download the leaflet here. (PDF format) This month, we'll be having an open mike featuring our members in the first half, plus Clachies, a ceilidh band in the second half. The event, which costs £6 pounds (£4 for unwaged), includes live music, homecooked soup and a drink. Food starts at 1pm and the music will kick off at 2pm. Please get in touch by emailing info@govanhillbaths.com if you'd like to perform! Please spread the word to your friends and networks.
3. Fabulous Christmas Hamper Raffle
The Friends of the Baths would like to thank all of the people who donated the incredible gifts for our Christmas hamper raffle. We've got two great hampers - one with delicious imported food and wine; one with luxury bath, wellness and beauty products. Tickets are available in strips of 5 for a pound, and are available at our charity shop (73 Calder Street) and at the Soup, Song and a Swally this Sunday. You can see the hampers at the shop, as well as a list of the hampers' contents. If you'd like to reserve some tickets or take some to sell, just reply to this email.
The drawing will take place in the week before Christmas - we'll announce the date at Sunday's get-together and in a forthcoming email update.
4. Regeneration Conference, November 29th 2007
On November the Trust’s Board was invited to attend the Practice Event Conference organised by the Scottish Centre for Regeneration entitled; (see below for its work).
How to develop sustainable, mixed communities: experience from outside Scotland
This was a most important conference and of considerable significance to areas like Govanhill. Its focus was on regeneration from a social, cultural, economic and housing point of view. Key speakers were brought from regeneration projects in Holland where this was being done. A further central focus was on the stress laid in Holland on real consultation with local people on the ground about what they wanted from regeneration projects. The conference seemed clear that in all these respects Glasgow and Scotland could learn considerably because “regeneration” from a local authority and government point of view seemed to be heavily focussed on the housing element and not on bringing all aspects together.
(http://www.scr.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/scrcs_006637.hcsp)
5. West of Scotland Housing Association meeting 29th November 2007: Discussion of the Government’s Discussion Document on the Future of Housing in Scotland – “Firm Foundations”
GBCT Board members were invited to attend this meeting where this Discussion Paper was debated. It was presented by one of its chief civil servant authors, Andrew Scott (Head of Social Housing, Scottish Government). A critical appraisal of the document was presented by Douglas Robertson, (Head of Applied Social Science Department, Stirling University).
This was a very large and vociferous if not angry meeting. It emerged from the debate that (a) the Paper had barely considered any holistic aspect of regeneration as raised by the Regeneration conference held earlier in the day (b) there had been no consultation with or consideration of the valuable case studies from Holland (c) there had been no "grassroots" consultation with local people across Scotland and the meeting as whole was clear that this should be an essential ingredient of policy making.
There seemed to be few if any in the audience who agreed with the paper’s main ideas and there was considerable stress on the apparent failure of the Paper to take account of the sort of circumstances in disadvantaged areas such as Govanhill. A wide range of other criticisms were raised. Douglas Robertson was particularly scathing of the document in his presentation and earned warm applause throughout.
You can make up your own mind by consulting the paper at;
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/30153156/0
Comments to the Government are called for by the end of January.
NOTE
An holistic regeneration strategy from a social, cultural, economic and housing perspective is central to the Govanhill Baths Community Trust Board’s interests and formal Purposes. It is working with the Govanhill Housing Association and Govanhill Development Trust and a range of other local partners in the campaign to re-open the Baths as a Sports and Wellbeing Centre at the heart of the community. Its plans include a Social Housing new build programme at the back of the baths above the “Steamie”.
6. Health – The Scotland Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report, November 2007
The campaign to re-open Govanhill Baths as a Sports and Wellbeing Centre is rooted in many aspects of social and community life. From the beginning the Board of the Trust has stressed how such a Centre will assist in the development of healthier people and in particular for younger and older people
Dr Harry Burns, the Scottish Government’s Chief Medical Officer recently produced his annual report in which he emphasises the slow development. He writes;
"Although the health of all sections of the community in Scotland is improving we cannot disguise the fact that it is not improving fast enough for the poorest sections of our society."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7103403.stm
Tom Roberts from the Housing Charity, Children 1st said; (quoted in the above article)
“the impact of poverty, including poor housing and health, combined with gaps in support services - particularly for teenage children and their families - mean there are many challenges ahead."
The new Centre will, we strongly believe, fill a vital “gap” and help to speed up good health development for everyone though a necessary focus on children is vital as Burns points out.