Sober spaces are being championed by more and more events and venues these days, particularly those aimed at marginalised communities. We spoke to organisers to find out what’s behind this move. 

Get to know the owners of Fulton’s, affectionately known as the two Grahams, as they share their favourite spots along Victoria Road

What can be done to prevent littering and fly tipping in our lanes and back courts, when they are privately owned and the council does not take any responsibility? How can we make our neighbourhood cleaner and safer? Share your experiences, and tell us what you think should be done.

The collaborative storytelling project, called It’s Criminal, will work with a group of people with direct experience of the criminal justice system and with people from communities often scapegoated or blamed for crime.

Our cover stars of Issue 8 of the magazine are mother and daughter Shayala and Zanib. In this interview, they explored their feelings about their Scottish-Pakistani heritage and what makes home.

Several initiatives around Govanhill are among the twenty-nine projects funded across the city in a move that has been welcomed by the local cycling community. The fund is designed to engage citizens with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships taking place from 3-13 August.

On International Roma Day last year, Sammy and Natalia gave speeches to the crowd. Both took part in Romano Lav’s ‘Community Catalysts’ course, in which a  group of 12 Roma young people spent 8 weeks learning about their rights and how to fight for them.

As the nights draw in, the lights get twinklier and we all start to coorie down for the winter months, we wanted to explore the diverse cultures in the area and discover how our neighbours are preparing for the coming festivities. 

December is nearly upon us, and in the Southside there are a whole load of Christmas events already underway where you can support local businesses and find plenty of festive spirit. Find out where are the Christmas markets in Glasgow Southside.

Issue 8 of Greater Govanhill poses the questions — What does integration mean to you? We delve into the slippery term and speak to community organisations to hear their take on the word.

Mind the Health Gap is a year-long project between Greater Govanhill and The Ferret, a Scotland-wide investigations media co-op. In the first of the series, Karin Goodwin met with energy advisors from South Seeds.

Want to have your voice heard on local issues? There are currently consultations on the council’s South Central Development Framework, which covers Govanhill and lighting in Queen’s Park.

After attending a Rumpus Room workshop on intuition in South Asian cooking, two of our Young Voices team, Jiaqi Zheng and Zainab Ashraf, were inspired to ponder how intuition has shaped their respective cultural upbringings.

Thriving Places Govanhill are awarding grants of up to £2500 for community initiatives around Govanhill that improve health and wellbeing, with the recipients being decided by the local community. Read our handy guide to all the initiatives (including us!) and how to vote.

We asked a number of people in Govanhill to imagine a future, a more perfect version of the neighbourhood, 10 years from now.

In this edition of our regular feature Volunteer Spotlight, meet Beti as she talks about her work with Amma Birth Companions.

To coincide with Gas Safety week, we are launching our crowdsourced investigation into gas safety in the area. If you live in or around Govanhill, please fill in this short form.

Local Danny Macpherson shares how going down to his local court to shoot hoops solo introduced him to a new community and an addictive past-time.

Earlier this year, a new Govanhill mural was unveiled, bringing a splash of colour - and cultural heritage - to the neighbourhood. Now the team behind it want your ideas for a second mural, this time depicting a fantasy Govanhill bookshelf.

One of our Young Voices team members, Shanine Gallagher, pens this intimately personal essay in pursuit of her mixed Scottish-Filipino identity and growing the community in Glasgow that have supported her.