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Opening Remarks

Hello and welcome! Hope you’re doing great. Summer is just around the corner, I can feel it! Next week is meant to be relatively sunny and warm. I hope all of us will have an opportunity to spend some quality time outside, whether it’s a workout al fresco or drinks in the sunshine. Or maybe both? 👀

I’ve received some lovely feedback regarding the first newsletter. I’m happy so many of you like the concept. It will take me time to grow it but I have some interesting ideas simmering in my head…

Please remember you can always get in touch with me by sending an email to [email protected].

Happy reading! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Tom

A Little Bit of Zen with Zennistoun Hub

The demand for mental health, spirituality, wellness and mindfulness services has increased dramatically in recent years. When I was growing up in the 2000s, it was considered niche and quirky to be interested in such practices. As society progresses, at the same time falling deeper and deeper into the trap of digital stimulation, we all feel a need to reconnect with ourselves from time to time.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to access such services, especially amid the current crisis. Zennistoun Hub is a community health initiative located… well, you guessed it, in Dennistoun. The hub works on a pay it forward model, which means that there are courses and services people can pay to use, as well as fully funded, free spots for those in need.

They offer mindfulness courses, candle making workshops, a menopause chat group, yoga classes, massage and acupuncture therapies… It’s a real gem for the East End. “My personal favourite service that we offer is our Mindfulness Based Living Course, which is facilitated by our fantastic practitioner Clunie”, said Nathan, the Hub’s Communications Director. I had a wee chat with him earlier this week to find out more about what they do. “This is one of the most popular services we offer. It can be accessed by anybody and it teaches us how to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives.”

The mindfulness course has a free taster session on Tuesday, 23rd of May at 7 PM. If any of you would like to try it for free, please email [email protected]. It’s free of charge and there is no obligation to join the course. Nathan assured me that the team are a friendly bunch who strive to help others to the best of their ability. If you’re interested, please do not hesitate to contact them. For more information about the Hub and their services, please visit www.zennistounhub.org.

The Verve and Colour of Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust

I don’t know about you, but I love all things retro and vintage. If I could, I’d live on the set of The Great Gatsby. For all the fans of vintage vehicles and public transportation, the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust has some lovely things to offer.

Located on Fordneuk Street in Bridgeton, the Garage is a heritage centre which celebrates history, at the same time promoting and supporting the welfare of people struggling with addiction. The Trust offers guided tours, which need to be booked in advance, as well as Open Sundays. Last Sunday, their volunteers helped Isa, a former bus conductor, celebrate her 102nd birthday!

I caught up with Joan, who’s a member of the Trust and volunteers at most of their events. “It’s great fun and I love volunteering there”, Joan told me when I asked her to describe the experience. “I’ve made some great friends there too. It also keeps our heritage alive.”

At the time of our chat, Joan was actually away to Fort William with some of the folks from the Trust! “Come along to one of our Open Sundays to see what it’s all about! Or maybe do a guided tour? You will be warmly welcomed!”, she said. Well, it’s definitely not your regular 60 to the Fort, that’s for sure! The community spirit of the Garage seems wonderful and I can’t wait to pay it a visit. For more information, please visit www.gvvt.org.

Art Workshops in Spanish

Any Spanish learners here? I saw this lovely opportunity online and I couldn’t stop myself from including it in the newsletter. Mirella is the host of art classes in Spanish. It is recommended that you know Spanish on some level before joining but it’s not a dealbreaker. Attendees will be taught drawing and painting techniques, as well as lots of new Spanish vocabulary. It’s £12 per session but the first class can be discounted to £6. Please contact Mirella using the email on the poster if you’re interested. 🎨

The song of the issue is Listen To Your City by Calum Bowie

Calum Bowie is the Tesco Finest of young Scottish singer-songwriter scene. Originally from Banchory in Aberdeenshire, Calum achieved incredible popularity during lockdown, when he started posting videos of himself singing and playing guitar from the window of his student flat in Edinburgh. I’m only in my room window when there’s drama on the street… 🙊

Calum has been writing and recording his own songs for a number of years, but his career really took off in recent months. He literally went from penning his own lyrics to performing at Murrayfield, doing a sold out UK tour, and gaining a fanbase that is so crazy about him that they draw fan arts of his likeness on a regular basis. We support this legend. Please give Calum a listen if you haven’t already.

That’s it for today, folks. Hope you liked this one. Please stick around for future newsletters and forward this one onto people who might be interested in services mentioned above. I’m away to get an IPA 🍺. See you in two weeks! 👋🏻

All the best,

Tom