Young and old crying out for better facilities

JULIE SEMPLE, 42, bakery worker: “It’s a good area but there’s not enough places for the young kids to go.

“There’s a football field near by house but it’s closed at weekends, which I think it a bit ridiculous.

“There’s no community centre’s and things like that so the kids just end up hanging about the streets.

“The council should open more things up for them.” RECENT changes to Glasgow’s council ward boundaries have left the East End divided.

The new East Centre ward, which previously included Dennistoun and Haghill, has been created ahead of the upcoming council elections.

With the removal of the areas with a particularly large transient population, elected councillors will now be representing community at the heart of the East End including Carntyne, Riddrie, Cranhill, Greenfield, Barlanark and Springboig.

Both Carntyne West and North Barlanark were listed as two of the most deprived areas in Scotland, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.

In Carntyne, male and female life expectancy is estimated to be lower than the Glasgow average.

Despite this, many residents express concern over the large elderly population.

Many of them are reliant on the facilities at Lightburn Hospital, the last remaining NHS inpatient facil- ity in Glasgow’s East End. Locals who already believe there is “nothing for anyone” in the town, are exasperated by the potential closure.

John Lyons, 57, is the secretary of the Gartcraig Community Council and general manager of the Carntyne and Riddrie Credit Union on Gartcraig Road.

“We do a lot of things that the council should be doing”, he explains.

“We are overlooked a lot when it comes to regeneration, all the money from the council gets spent in places like Castlemilk, Bridgeton and Tollcross.

“We do have levels of deprivation here but there is no money getting put into it.

“The Credit Union doesn’t get any funding, we are completely on our own when it comes to money and have been since the day we opened.

“It has been running for over 20 years, we do a lot of things for the elderly population.

“If it wasn’t for us, half of the people who come here would be sitting in sheltered housing.”

For an area with so much community spirit, it lacks community spaces.

Many people have pinned the recent increase in crime to a lack community centres, leaving young people with no other option but to hang around the street, leading to them committing petty crime.

For those working on the ground, it has become apparent that partnership is the way forward.

The issues including crime, drug use and social isolation cannot be tackled by just one group but instead require direct communication between elected bodies and members of the community to implement change in an effective way.

Three SNP candidates will stand in the May elections, including Russell Robertson, who is standing for re-election, against two Labour candidates.

For the area which is currently split between the parties, it could be the time for change. EMMA FERLA, 31, charity shop manager, from Dennistoun: “We’re very well supported by people in the area in terms of donations.

“I think people are concious about handing their stuff in rather than throwing it away.

“We are on the best performing in the area in terms of donations and sales.

“The limiting of council pick ups has affected the recycling and rubbish.

“If the council could help up with getting rid of waste it would save the charity money.”