Govanhill Baths Community TrustOur new book “Little Donegal – The Irish in the Gorbals and Govanhill” by Colm Bryce is available now to buy in our online shop. This book traces the influence of Irish migrants to the southside of Glasgow, especially from the North West of Ireland, and how their lives affected the area they settled in. Irish people have been part of the history of Scotland since the Dál Riada tribe (the original ‘Scoti’) settled the West coast from 400AD onwards. They were there as places like Glasgow began to grow in the 17th and 18th centuries. And they were a part of all the stages of development of cities like Glasgow and the towns and villages surrounding it, including Govanhill.
The latest edition of What’s On is available, your guide to all the events run by Govanhill Baths through winter 2022/23.
We are very excited to launch our new book Little Donegal, which traces the history of Irish people in the Gorbals and in Govanhill. It outlines the different periods of migration, their backdrop in Ireland, and aims to challenge some of the myths that still exist about the Irish in Scotland, many of which are repeated about more recent immigrants.
Staying with the historical theme, running from January to March, we have new arts workshops focused on the history of Govanhill that will include walks and museum visits.
Our Health and Wellbeing programme continues with its range of free activities to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
Finally, we are looking for new members to join the Govanhill Baths Community Trust board as we move towards reopening our beloved building. Applications close at the end of January 2023.
Click to view or download What’s On guide now (PDF) 
(PLEASE NOTE: Some events are listed as taking place at 21 Nithsdale Road. This should actually be 21 Nithsdale Street. We apologise for the error and any inconvenience caused.)
Govanhill Baths Community Trust are looking for new Board members and that could be you!
Govanhill Baths Community Trust has reached a very exciting time in its 20 year campaign to open the Baths as a wellbeing centre for the community of Govanhill. We are now looking for committed individuals to join our Board for the next part of the amazing journey of opening the Baths after over 20 years of campaigning and fundraising.
We have been awarded significant funding to help make this happen and we want to do the best we can for the community. The refurbishment will bring the Ladies’ pool, Learners’ pool, Turkish Suite and Sauna into service as well as providing a gym, community kitchen/cafe and multi-purpose community spaces. With the refurbishment of the building underway, we are looking forward to opening the Baths and how we make that a success.
Throughout the refurbishment, Govanhill Baths continues to develop a diverse programme of arts and wellbeing activities in the community, developing an outreach programme to keep people informed about the redevelopment and doing the groundwork to put systems and procedures in place for when the building reopens. Govanhill Baths now has a base in the Deep End in Nithsdale Street, where many of our activities take place, as well as small offices in Calder Street and Alison Street.
What do we expect of board members?
Our Board members are committed to helping the Trust re-open the Baths as a Wellbeing Centre and contribute to the social, cultural and built regeneration of Govanhill as a community on the southside of Glasgow.
We meet the first Tuesday of the month and expect regular attendance at meetings alongside reading reports, draft policies and proposals in advance of meetings. We have development days at least twice a year for more in-depth strategic planning.
What skills, experience and expertise are we looking for?
To support our growth and development, we want to bring additional expertise to the Board and are looking for people with experience in operations including facilities management, health and safety and IT. We also need skills in fundraising, charity law and marketing and we always value local knowledge of our community.
What will I get out of it?
You will learn all about our different projects and how they work, get in-depth access to the construction project, input into what the building is going to feel like and how it will operate. There will be opportunities for training and to represent the organisation at events. You will get priority access to some of our activities, copies of our publications and meet new people as we are a friendly and welcoming organisation.
What are the requirements?
Board members are required to live within a mile of Govanhill Baths, which extends to Pollokshields, Mount Florida and Shawlands. Applicants from further afield can be considered if they have particular skills we need.
We support and encourage diversity on the Board and especially welcome applications from the many community groups and individuals within the Govanhill area who have helped to shape Govanhill Baths Community Trust activities up to now.
How do I apply?
If you are interested in becoming a Board member and have some of the skills we are looking for, simply complete an application form and return it to info@govanhillbaths.com. We encourage applications from all who believe they can contribute effectively regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief or race.
Applications to be a Board member must be received by Tuesday 31 January 2023. Interviews will take place during February with appointments to the Board at the beginning of March.
If you want to know more before applying
If you are interested and want to learn more, we plan to hold an online information session on the 17th January at 7pm, or you can join us in person on Tuesday 24th of January at 7pm in the Deep End, 21 Nithsdale Street, to hear more about what the Board does and what might be expected in the role as a Board member. If you would like to join either session please email info@govanhillbaths.com to register.
If you can’t make either of these sessions you can contact Alex Wilde, the Board Chair, at Alex@govanhillbaths.com with your questions.
Application Form
Govanhill Baths is proud to announce the publication of Little Donegal – The Irish in the Gorbals and Govanhill by Colm Bryce.
The book traces the influence of Irish migrants to the southside of Glasgow, especially from the North West of Ireland, and how their lives affected the area they settled in. Migration follows patterns, family members, relatives and neighbours follow established paths and often settle close to familiar faces in the place they arrive. In this way, Govanhill and the Gorbals came to be known as ‘Little Donegal’, with a high concentration of people from the west of Donegal, many of them Gaeilge speakers, with a vibrant community life and a regular connection back to their home place.
Colm has used the history of his own ancestors, who arrived in the Gorbals from Gweedore at the end of the 19th century, eventually moving back and becoming an integral part of the regular migrant route via the Scotch Boat which travelled between Derry and Glasgow three times a week. It aims to challenge some of the myths that still exist about the Irish in Scotland, many of which are repeated about more recent immigrants. Rather than a definitive history, the aim is to stimulate others to do the same with their own family histories and capture some of the richness of Irish life in the southside.
The book also contains contributions from Govanhill Baths Archives & Heritage’s Irish History Group where people shared their unique stories, memories and photographs. From the Derry Boat to buttermilk in Clonglash, from the Bridge of Tears in Donegal to Donegal Hill in Glasgow, a recurrent theme is the constant ebb and flow of people between Glasgow and Donegal over many generations.
Click to listen to podcasts from the Irish History Group
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This project has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.
We gratefully acknowledge support from the Society of Authors Foundation & K Blundell Trust.
The book will shortly be available to purchase.
Join us as we celebrate everything we have achieved in the first phase of the Our Rights, Our Communities project this year with ‘Our Stories’ exhibition: from 11th to 16th November in The Deep End, 21 Nithsdale St.
Refugees, asylum seeking and migrant women used painting, crocheting, crafting and other creative skills to express themselves, whilst discussing issues of advocacy they face on a daily basis and developing peer-advocacy skills.
Join us during this week to hear their stories of strength, and how New Scots women are bringing this to Scotland as they rebuild their lives, contributing towards making Scotland stronger.
These and future artworks will also be shared on social media, disseminating New Scots women’s voices and stories as they develop confidence and a sense of belonging, and search for community solidarity for their Human Rights.
Download poster below or check out the Our Rights Our Communities Instagram page here.
This autumn, try something new and meet new people.
October is Mental Health Awareness Month. As part of her role with Govanhill Baths as Culture Collective Sound Artist, Ros has been researching how sound impacts our health. She’s been asking – can listening to particular sounds, and listening collectively, offer us better mental health?
There’s been a summer series of workshops and events open to people in and around Govanhill. It involved creating sound pieces as a group, active listening in nature and sonic experiments in occupying the streets of Govanhill.
Are you interested in taking part in Ros’s autumn workshops?
All workshops are free to join, involve a free group lunch each session and will help you develop new skills in podcast and sound making. Your feedback on the sessions will also support research on how listening can support our mental health.
Workshops will take place:
● Thursday 10th November / 13:00 – 16:00
● Thursday 17th November / 13:00 – 16:00
● Thursday 24th November / 13:00 – 16:00
● Thursday 1st December / 13:00 – 16:00
● Thursday 8th December / 13:00 – 16:00
If you would like to sign-up, click here & fill in your details to book a slot on these free, sound making workshops.
Childcare support, support for travel and interpreter support all available to support people attending, please email – roscc@govanhillbaths.com for more details.
If you’re trying to work out if these autumn sessions are for you, take a look at some reflections and thoughts from people who participated in the summer series of workshops and events below.
Photography by Erika Stevenson
This workshop group made their own sound pieces. Take a listen to this excerpt of a piece made by participant Alys in the summer workshops, it features her and her family singing a Welsh lullaby:
The Sounds of Machynlleth by Alys
Alys is a musician and you can find more of her work here: Facebook and Soundcloud – the workshops are open to people of all levels of familiarity with working with sound!
Photography by Bircan Birol
Workshop participants got taken for a day trip to the beach, where they did nature listening experiments and made their own mini podcast recordings using their phones.
Dreamlands: The Audio Cinema event. Photography by Erika Stevenson
Elsewhere, in collaboration with fellow Culture Collective artist Mina Heydari-Waite, Ros and Mina produced; Dreamlands: The Audio Cinema featuring immersive sound pieces and audio stories exploring the potential of dream states.
Attendees were asked; what did this experience of collective listening feel like?
“I felt so weightless, my eyes were heavy, like I was dreaming”
Photography by Erika Stevenson
Photos from ‘Dance Makes the Floor’, developed by the dancer and fellow Culture Collective artist at Govanhill Baths; Mark Bleakley, in collaboration with digital artist Cameron Howard. Ros developed a composition for ‘Dance Makes the Floor’ where members of the public lay on the dancefloor. Their heart rate was monitored, and the speed of their heartbeats controlled the speed of the music, broadcast out onto Victoria Road in Govanhill.
Where Victoria Road traffic noises would normally impact inside our bodies (rising cortisol and increased heart rates) now people’s inner worlds occupy the sounds on the street.
If you’d like to be involved in sound experiments like this, get involved with Ros’s sound workshops. Sign-up for the Autumn Sound Workshops!
Learn new skills, feed into research around community mental health, and have the chance to come away from a 5-week workshop session with your own unique sound art or podcast piece. Follow this link to sign-up to the workshops.
And if you’d like more information, or would like to stay up to date with future events planned, feel free to email the facilitator Ros: roscc@govanhillbaths.com
Culture Collective is a national network of artists and organisations engaging with their communities. Govanhill Baths Community Trust is a member of that network and has employed a team of artists to engage with the people of Govanhill. The over-arching theme of OCCUPY! reflects the recent history of the Baths and the artists will interpret it within their own practice and with the community.
Culture Collective was created by Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government to provide support for the creative sector post-COVID and a new foundation for participation with the communities
READ GOVANHILL COMMUNITY ZINE HERE.
We’re delighted to reveal the Govanhill Food Stories Community Zine! This little zine documents the stories, drawings, favourite dishes and beloved recipes shared by local residents at the Govanhill Food Stories Community Market on the 13th of August 2022 at the Batson Street Laboratory.
Thank you to all zine contributors, market participants, project partners and funders who made this possible! Special thanks to Glasgow Zine Library and Polly Rappaport for putting the zine together.
Govanhill Community Market is a partnership between Glasgow Artists’ Moving Image Studios, G42 Pop-Ups and Govanhill Baths Community Trust. It aims to strengthen connections between different communities, support the local economy and breathe new life into underused spaces in the neighbourhood.
Govanhill is the most culturally diverse neighbourhood in Scotland, with over 80 languages spoken here. As with any rich mixture of backgrounds there are also misunderstandings, and this event is a platform for meeting our neighbours and learning more about their heritage and customs, as well as the history of immigrant and refugee communities in Govanhill.
The third edition of the Govanhill Community Market took place on the 13th of August 2022 at the Batson Street Laboratory. This outdoor market celebrated narrative through food as part of Govanhill International Festival and the Year of Stories 2022.
It was a great opportunity to try an exciting variety of cuisines, cooked by community organisations and businesses from Govanhill and beyond, and to learn the history and traditions behind the dishes. We were served delicious coffee and pop-corn at the Eritrean coffee ceremony led by UNITY Sisters, and explored links between migration, colonialism and food systems in a fun session with Tunvii Khurana and Diana Jiménez (Nourish Scotland) as part of the ‘Our Rights, Our Communities’ project.
We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate and committed individual to join the team of staff and volunteers at the People’s Pantry! We’re looking for a new Development Worker to help deliver the aims of the People’s Pantry,
The Pantry offers an alternative way for people facing food insecurity or food inequalities to access the food and essentials they need, giving a greater deal of choice and dignity. As Covid restrictions are relaxed we hope to offer more ways for Pantry members to engage with food, starting with a small urban growing space and associated events around the theme of growing and making at home.
Applications must be in by 9.00am Monday 31st October 2022. For full details and job description visit our vacancies page.
We’re delighted to welcome two new members to our ceramics team! Meet our new new instructors Zoë and Rob!
Zoë is a ceramicist working in Glasgow. She specialises in production throwing as well as large one-off pieces. After self-teaching for a number of years, she spent time as a visiting apprentice at Shin Chul’s studio in South Korea. There she learnt traditional Korean throwing techniques as well as the process of wood firing and glaze making through ash.
Since returning to Glasgow she has set up a private studio in the East End where she focuses mainly on restaurant commissions alongside teaching and collaborating with other artists.
After graduating in ceramics and glass from Gray’s school of Art in 2017, Robert has been able to travel with his work with an internship with Maria De Haan in the summer of 2017 and most recently, completed an 3 months Artist in Residency with her in Deia, Mallorca.
Robert is mainly a thrower but is also interested in developing his own glazes by collecting natural materials on his travels, making his work inspired by location, nature and time. Now based in Ayr, Robert is working from his home studio where he continues his work and develop his glaze research further.
More information on all our courses and kiln hire available here.
From 12th – 18th September, we’ll be holding a new interactive, multimedia exhibition focussing on the life and times of swimming clubs and other communal activities at Govanhill Baths. There will be a chance to see some rare archival footage of swimming in Scotland, together with a wide range of objects from our building’s history. The exhibition will also feature an immersive soundscape by artist Ros Fraser.
Exhibition co-curated by Beulah Ezeugo and Ghazala Ansar, Community Engagement Trainees.
The weekend of the 17th and 18th September will see a wide range of other events at the Deep End as part of Doors Open Days Festival including open studios and a craft market from our award winning upcycling project Rags To Riches.
The exhibition will be open Monday 12th-Sunday 18th September from 2-6pm, with a reception event on Thursday 15th September from 6-8pm.
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Govanhill Baths
99 Calder Street, Govanhill
Glasgow G42 7RA
Govanhill Baths Office
Community Wellbeing Office
126 Calder Street
Glasgow G42 7QP
T: 0141 433 2999
E: info@govanhillbaths.com
E: wellbeing@govanhillbaths.com
