by Govanhill-based writer, Emrys Mordin

If Govanhill was a colour, it would be a rainbow

Bright, bold, brilliant

Colours we never thought would go together

Dancing down the streets

Marion Moore turned 80 yesterday. In normal circumstances she would have been granted her wish of going out in a limo to celebrate her birthday in style. But lockdown put paid to those plans. So staff at Hector House care home in Shawlands decided to get creative and turned to the online community for ideas. They couldn’t have anticipated the reaction they would get.

The independent Queen’s Park Govanhill Parish Foodbank normally provides food parcels on a weekly basis. At the moment they’re opening once a fortnight on a Wednesday for donations and then the following day for collections. Keeping things running is a team of volunteers working alongside local organisations and fuelled by the good will of local people making donations.

Pupils may not be able to come into school, but teachers from one Govanhill primary school found themselves visiting pupils’ homes last Friday. The depute head and two of the teachers from St Bride’s Primary spent three hours delivering around 300 meals to 40 families in Govanhill – in recognition of the fact that many are struggling.

“Some of my friends thought it was frivolous of me to be talking about making art in the face of a wave of deaths. But personally, I don’t have the capacity to set up a support network and there are other people already doing incredible things in that area. I just wanted to create a space where people exchange skills, ideas or support – and have something to get excited about.”

We want to capture the positive news stories from our community during this time of crisis, preserve them for future generations and share them with those who may not be online or on social media. And we need your help.

We know that many people are unable to go out to the shops at the moment, due to the need for self-isolating. Delivery slots for larger supermarkets are booked up weeks in advance. However, there a several options available from local businesses and wholesalers, many of which are offering next day delivery.