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Opening Remarks

Hello and welcome! I hope you’re doing great.

Big announcement! I got a job. I now work full-time at a marketing agency in Glasgow City Centre. I am truly so happy about this development. My new job will allow me to have a professional career with a clear progression route while remaining within the media industry. It shouldn’t affect the newsletter in any way as it only comes out twice a month, but I will keep you updated if anything changes.

The newsletter has been running for a few months now and I’m always happy to receive emails from people wanting to have their business, event or initiative included. Please do not hesitate to contact me by sending an email to [email protected] if you’d like to propose any new content.

Happy reading!

Tom

Lose Yourself to Dance (in Dennistoun)

Society never fails to make us aware of how late we are with everything we’d like to do. You should start playing the violin by the age of seven. By the time you reach your twenties, you should be able to drive a car. Still renting at 30? You must be a failure.

It’s the same with dancing. I know many people (myself included) who wish they could learn to dance in order to enjoy it as a hobby or a form of working out. The problem is - most of us feel “too old” to start. Hopefully, as society progresses, we can slowly but surely get rid of such internal limitations.

Dance HQ is a friendly and welcoming place to dance for people of all ages and abilities. The studio is located on Sword Street, just around a corner from the Bellgrove train station. They offer a wide range of classes for both adults and children, as well as dance parties and first dance lessons.

“When we launched in 2010, we wanted to create a high-quality studio in the East End of Glasgow,” said Susan, who is the founder of Dance HQ. “Coming from the East End myself, it was always important for me to bring a wider range of dance styles to the area and that has attracted not only locals, but also people from all over Scotland and the UK to our studio.”

Dance HQ’s very own professional dance act, Gallus Stooshie’s Cool Ceilidh, performed at the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow recently. It’s a difficult task to condense the studio’s incredible portfolio of classes and initiatives into a couple of paragraphs. “Dance HQ is the only place in Glasgow to offer graded dance and ballet classes to adults,” Susan told me. Some of their adult dancers have now achieved teaching qualifications, which wouldn’t have been possible without the studio’s help.

For now, Dance HQ is working on a selection of projects. Some of them include a theatre performance titled Life in Hypercolor, a Barbie Dance Workshop inspired by the new movie, and a seductive Slow and Sultry class for their adult timetable. With such a wide range, no wonder they’ve won the number 1 best dance studio in Glasgow award.

Adult classes cost £32 per month, which is only a few quid more than a gym membership. Click here to visit their website or here to see the official Facebook page.

White Elephant Child Loss - a Support Group That Makes a Difference

Shaneese and Rebecca are teachers based in Glasgow and Stepps. Unfortunately, they both suffered from baby loss within the last two years. Rebecca tragically lost Maeva in March 2023 due to neonatal death and Shaneese lost Kit in 2021 as a result of an ectopic pregnancy. Without any funding, they went on to set up the White Elephant support group.

“We noticed a huge lack of support for women who have suffered any sort of fertility issues or miscarriage, so we set one up ourselves,” Shaneese stated when I asked her about their initiative. “We felt at the time, and still do, that baby loss is the great white elephant in the room… No one wants to discuss it. We wanted this group to be a friendly, relaxed environment for women wanting to chat through their experiences and be supported by others.”

According to data from Tommy’s Pregnancy Hub, there are around 250,000 miscarriages in the UK every year. White Elephant support group offers help on both 1-to-1 and group basis, as well as wellness walks, online sessions, and coffee mornings, among other inspiring initiatives. What’s so special about them is that they offer support immediately, not weeks or months down the line.

It’s important for White Elephant to gain charity status soon and expand their work to other areas of the UK. That said, Shaneese and Rebecca already help women down in England. At the end of October, they will host a Halloween Race Night to help raise money for their support group. Their fundraiser will also include bingo and a raffle. Tickets cost £5 and everyone is welcome. Click here to book your tickets.

They meet the first Sunday of every month in KS Inspiring Fitness, Unit 44a Huntershill Village, Low Road West, Crowhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, G64 1RP. The group is very active on Instagram and you can get in touch with them at @white_elephant_childloss, or by clicking here.

A New Crafty Market in Paisley

Today marks the opening of Paisley’s brand new market in Browns Lane. By all accounts, the organisers aim for a crafty, artisan vibe. I’m including the poster down below in case anyone is interested. They are also looking for new vendors.

The song of the issue is Goodbye Mr. Blue by Father John Misty

No, this guy is not a priest. He is, however, one of the most talented male singer-songwriters in the industry. Even though women have been winning in the singer-songwriter game for many years now, Josh Tilman (that’s his real name) is one of my favourites. His newest album combines elements of swing, country, jazz, and folk. It’s also very retro, which is the easiest way to get my attention.

That’s it for today, folks! See you in two weeks’ time.

All the best,

Tom