It’s a nice place but we have our problems, too
FIONA KELLY, 59, is a home carer from Shawlands: “The amenities are the best thing about the area. Well, most of them.”
“The worst thing is the amount of hair dressers and estate agents. Every week another hairdresser opens up.
“We need bigger shops such as Marks & Spencer.”
Fiona is unsure if she will vote in the council elections.
She said: “I didn’t even know there were any.” LEAFY is perhaps one of the first words that comes to mind when people think of Pollokshields.
The south side community has low levels of unemployment and a high level of professionals as well as a high mix of owner-occupied homes.
For the residents, however, this is a blessing as well as a curse.
Community campaigner Lisa Peebles, pictured above, is with the group Ready Steady Grow, which, every second year, organises a festival to celebrate the green spaces in Pollokshields.
She believes Pollokshields can sometimes be forgotten when it comes to council funding and policy as the area is not as needy as its neighbours.
Lisa said: “People think of Pollokshields as being all Victorian villas and there is definitely a perception that Pollokshields is rich, especially West Pollokshields, but we have got everything in Pollokshields.
“That’s not in any way to take from the problems that exist elsewhere but we do have a proportion of disenfranchisement and problem areas.
“The thing with Pollokshields is that we make it look pretty so people might not see what’s underneath.”
Pollokshields sits in Pollokshields Ward with Strathbungo and Shawlands, both areas with high levels of professionals and owner-occupied homes.
Lisa added: “Across the community and local area, we recognise the value of our green spaces and encourage people to go out and use them.
“Even though this is a year that Ready Steady Grow is off, we are still doing everything we can to value and protect green spaces.
“They are not just for cycling past or walking your dog in, they are spaces to be used by everyone.”
Local residents are proud of their good amenities and attractive villas and sandstone tenements.
But the area is not without need, according to locals.
Lisa said: “Pollokshields needs a coordinated approach.
“It needs an organisation to really take control, it needs the focus of the local authority.
“There are a lot of community groups doing amazing work but you can’t stop people dropping litter in the streets or make people in unfactored closes fix their roofs.
“We have the same problems as our neighbours in Govanhill, just on a smaller scale.
“What I would like to see is all elected members, irrespective of party, work together to get the best outcomes for the people of Pollokshields.
“When you get past the point of the election, people don’t care about party, they only care about the work you do for the area.
“I want to see all politicians work positively, collectively and collaboratively and not be bogged down by parochial party politics.” JUNE SCOTT, 68, is retired and lives in Rouken Glen originally, but spends a lot of time in Shawlands: “Best thing is you’ve maybe got a choice of buses.
“You used to have a good choice of shops, but most of them are charity shops now.
“The worst thing is there used to be a bin outside quite a few of the shops and they’ve taken that away. I don’t know about Shawlands, but up by Roukenglen the streetlights have been out for three months.”
June isn’t too too fussed about voting, but says she might.