Olympic medallist Kriss Akabusi MBE recently dropped in to meet more than 100 members of the MacLellan Retail Services team, the complete facilities management provider to Silverburn – Glasgow’s next generation of retail destination. 

The surprise appearance of the 400m World, European and Commonwealth gold medallist came during a ‘Welcome Day’ held by MacLellan, part of Interserve, at the Teacher Building on Thursday 18^th October.  The day was the final part of the team’s preparation for Silverburn’s launch (on 25^th October), helping them to reflect on the work they’ve done so far and the important role they have to play in what is still yet to come.  

As Silverburn’s facilities management partner, MacLellan is responsible for a host of services both front and back of house, helping to create the perfect environment for the millions of shoppers that will visit Silverburn each year. However it was Kriss Akabusi that truly inspired and energised the day.  He helped every member of staff really prepare themselves to deliver a winning performance.

Kriss said, “It is such a great honour to be involved in the beginning of something new. There is an obvious dynamic spirit within the team which should transfer to excellent customer service. I was impressed by the enthusiasm these individuals showed in being a part of Silverburn.”  

The appearance by Kriss was welcomed by staff too. Paul Evans, Divisional Director, MacLellan Retail Services said: “It was such an energetic and inspiring event that has given the team a fantastic boost.  Everyone has been working so hard during these last few weeks. The team has really pulled together, going out of their way to make sure we get everything done.  We want to help everyone reach their full potential, and the presentation by Kriss was the perfect way to demonstrate how it can be done, and the success which can be achieved, if we work as a team.”  

Notes for Editors

MacLellan, operating through Interserve FM Ltd, is part of Interserve Plc (www.interserve.com), the services, maintenance and building group. Interserve creates buildings and other structures for clients in the public and private sectors, maintains many different types of buildings, the operational systems that support them and a range of plant and equipment in specialist fields, and co-ordinates a host of background services to keep its clients’ operations running smoothly and efficiently while they concentrate on their core business. Interserve is based in the UK and is a FTSE 250 company. It employs 26,000 people worldwide and has revenue of £1.4 billion.

Greater Pollok Heritage Group have a new web site: freewebs.com/greaterpollokheritagegroup

SNP Councillor for Newlands and Auldburn, Colin Deans JP, hit out recently at what he called ‘community exclusion’ from local decision-making agencies.

Significantly, he pointed the finger at the ‘Labour- controlled agencies’. He said:

"Despite the change of government and what should be a shift of power in Scotland, within the local agencies covering Greater Pollok/Newlands & Auldburn, life goes on as before. That is, the committees and boards are stuffed full of Labour Councillors and unelected ‘suits’ with no sign of elected community representatives.

For example, the Local Eco-nomic Development Agency (GWSRA) is still crammed with the same old Councillors and officials. GSWRA was previously called Equip and before that, the Greater Pollok Development Company (now merged - or should that be taken over by - the former Govan Initiative?). This board has four Labour Councillors out of a total board of nine! And not one community representative.

Elsewhere across the city the same political bias and community exclusion can be seen. Community Planning Partnerships are a perfect example. Glasgow Community Planning Board has NO COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON IT - and it seems, no plans to put any on it - and on the local Planning Boards, after 16 months of inactivity, democratic representation from ‘the community’ is still being denied.

Yes, there are local people there but who elected them and who are they accountable to? As always, local people are the last people to be consulted and actually listened to! Instead what we have is the usual ever-burgeoning bureaucracy, i.e. mair suits!

As a job creation scheme for ‘suits’ it seems to be working but as for dealing with poverty, exclusion, discrimination, appalling housing and all the other ills of Glasgow, it is little more than a talking shop.

It is part of my job as a new City Councillor to persuade my colleagues at the Scottish Executive that radical changes to all these agencies are required so that those who voted for us can see a difference between the old and the new. We campaigned on a platform that included the promise of increased community participation in local decision-making – it is now our job to deliver on that promise."

Greater Pollok Community Learning Centre Priesthill Campus located at 255 Househillmuir Road, Pollok is NOW taking enrolments for a variety of new classes starting August  / September 2007.

CLASSES ON OFFER INCLUDE:

First Aid, Computing, ECDL, IT

German & Spanish, Intro to Study Skills

Managing Violence and Aggression in the Workplace, Counselling, Mental Health Issues. COSCA Counselling

Swedish Massage, Intro to APH, Holistic Therapies

Flower arranging, Dressmaking, Soft Furnishings

Yoga, Tai Chi / Chi Kung, Guitar

For more information or a brochure please contact the Centre on 0141 880 7570 .

We are able to offer some students fee waiver or discounts for part time classes if they are in receipt of the following :

Where you or your spouse / family are in receipt of:

Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Based JSA.

Where you are a registered Job Seeker

Where you are in receipt of

Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Incapacity benefit, Carers Allowance, Attendance allowance.

Where your spouse or family are an asylum seeker

Where you area a non asylum seeker living in Scotland on a part time ESOL course and where your main purpose for being in the EU is NOT to receive an education. 

Where your taxable Income of the student is below £6993 or a student with a family income is below £11473 ( with no children) below  £ 16718 ( with children)

If you are resident in the top 20% most deprived areas and attending a non certificated course only £10 will be charged. ( applies to GPCLC classes only)

 FREE Childcare is available for most classes for more information contact the Centre.

Glasgow Museums Resource Centre and the Burrell Collection have been working in partnership with Greater Pollok Carers to run ‘A Feast for the Eyes’ – a project looking at food and feasting in the museums’ collections. The participants documented their everyday lives by photographing their food, places they ate, shops and restaurants they visited and people they ate with. The group's work is now available on the Glasgow Museums website  at:

http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/showProject.cfm?venueid=8&itemid=55

Part time Project Co-ordinator - Greater Pollok Taster Programme

18 hrs per week Fixed Term until March 2008

Salary £19391 per annum - pro rata

Cardonald College is delivering a project in Greater Pollok, Newlands and Auldburn areas in Glasgow.This project is based on Taster Programmes for excluded groups such as unemployed people, lone parents, returners to the labour market disabled people etc. Each programme provides a range of learning opportunities to the participants with the aim of building confidence and introducing participants to potential routes of progression. The learning activites are delivered on a  outreach basis within suitable community venues.

This part time post has been created to plan, co-ordinate and facilitate this project within the Colleges Leisure and Community Unit. This post is currently being funded until the end of March 2008. If the project is successful in achieving its objectives and future funding can be secured, then the post may be extended for a further year.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential. A knowledge of training issues and an ability to work on own initiative is very important. Previous experience of working within the community and knowledge of social inclusion issues are preferable.

Ref 712S18/06/07 - Closing Date 15 June 07

Application forms and further information can be obtained from

Personnel Department, Cardonald College 690 Mosspark Drive, Cardonald

Telephone 0141 272 3232

email: personnel@cardonald.ac.uk

This Post is funded through the Community Regeneration Fund- Glasgow Community Planning Ltd.

Customers at Pollokshaws West Station will soon be in a spin as the vacant buildings on the platform ‘brake’ out in a new lease of life, thanks to a joint partnership between First ScotRail and South West Community Cycles.

First ScotRail was approached by South West Community Cycles, a charity run by a voluntary committee proactive in promoting health and education in the South West of Glasgow, after they heard about the train operator’s ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme.

The charity was looking for suitable premises in which they could set up a bicycle hire and repair centre, complete with cycle sales as well as refurbishment and cycle repair training, which was within close proximity to Pollok Park. The benefit of this location is due to the two major tourist attractions close by - The Burrell Collection and Pollok House – just a bike ride away!

First ScotRail is fully supporting the proposal and has agreed to lease the unused station building in order to develop the venture. Also involved in the grand plan is CEIS which is helping to develop the project, Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) who will be sharing the offices with SW Community Cycles and The Railway Heritage Trust, whose key objective is to bring surplus railway property back into use.

John Yellowlees, external relations manager at First ScotRail, said, “This is a great opportunity and I am delighted that we are able to support this initiative in providing suitable premises. In supporting local schemes such as this, we can help further improve the environment of our stations, making them more attractive places for customers.

“Our ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme has been a great success since it launched in September 2005 and we have been thrilled with the quality as well as quantity of proposals coming in. We hope that this addition will encourage more people to put forward proposals for other stations.”

Donna Foote from SW Community Cycles said, “The building at Pollokshaws West Station is ideal for us to operate from and we are delighted that First ScotRail have agreed to let us use it. The benefits are numerous - everyone in the area knows where it is, we’ll be right next to Pollok Park and there is direct access to the trains.

“Cycling is such a great activity for keeping kids and their parents healthy – and something they can do together as a family. We believe that cycling should be available and affordable for everyone in South West Glasgow and that’s what we are working towards.”

Peter Hayman of Cyclists’ Touring Club, added: “It is great that First ScotRail is providing this accommodation which we will be sharing with SW Community Cycles. Our plan is to use the space to house our office, where we can focus on cycle related work in Scotland.”

The site of the old Pollok Leisure Centre, Library and Health Centre is being redeveloped to refurbish and join up the existing buildings with a brand new structure. This has been called the 'Civic Realm' during the planning and construction phases but what do you the local residents want to call it?

In the Pollok Library and nearby community centres you can find boxes where you can post your suggestions. In the library there is even a detailed model of the new area.

You are invited to submit suggestions for a new name by filling in a card that you will find by the suggestion boxes.

Closing date for suggestions is 31st May.

At the start of 2007, the Scottish Executive made £350,000 available to Arts & Business Scotland to encourage private sector sponsorship of the arts. The scheme has proven to be incredibly popular with arts organisations across Scotland. So much so, that in only a few months over £240,000 of eligible applications have been received leaving only £100,000 in the pot for the remainder of the year. Therefore, if you are considering making an application for a project taking place in the next 4-10 months, Arts & Business stress you should do so sooner rather than later. The scheme is run on a first-come-first-served basis, so the earlier you get in touch the better.

Eligible sponsorships can apply for a £1 for £1 matching Award. The maximum Award is £40,000 and the minimum Award is £1,000. The sponsorship that Arts & Business will match can be cash or in kind, and must be being provided in order to receive benefits from the arts partner. The business must be sponsoring the arts in Scotland for the first time OR must not have sponsored the arts in Scotland since 31 March 2003.

‘Arts’ includes the performing arts, literature, visual arts and crafts, museums, heritage, architecture, film and TV. Non-arts organisations can apply as the Arts Applicant if they are producing arts activity. The application must be made at least 3 months in advance of the sponsored activity, and within 6 months of the start date of the sponsored activity. Applications must be made on the Scottish Executive New Arts Sponsorship Award Form which can be downloaded from www.AandB.org.uk/Scotland. Arts & Business take applications at any time, and there are no closing dates. Tel Jeanie Scott on 0131 220 2499 if you would like any more help or information.

A unique funding initiative will take place at this year’s Gathering, Scotland’s voluntary sector fair. On Friday 25 May, The Big Lottery Fund will be in attendance, to hold a live grant making event. 2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and Awards for All is celebrating by supporting projects which mark and build on the legacy of Abolition. Projects must meet one of the following aims:

• Bringing people together
• Increasing involvement.
• Improve quality of life
• Helping groups to become better organised

They have a total of £200,000 to award through a fast-track application process, where groups can walk away with up to £10,000 for their project. They’re looking for lots of innovative, creative projects to be put up for quick assessment and the chance to win the public vote on the day.