Every day, Vasily Teglas sets off from home with a suitcase carrying a loud speaker and a traditional Romanian horn-violin. He unpacks by a bench in Queen’s Park and plugs into his amp, striking up with the sounds of Scottish, Romanian and pop music.

With mosques closed and people confined to their own homes, this year’s Ramadan has been like no other, although some have found there to be benefits too. Members of Govanhill’s Muslim community take the time to reflect on their experiences of Ramadan during lockdown.

In Eastern Europe, racism and scapegoating are common problems for Roma people, Europe’s largest minority. According to Glasgow resident, Marek Balog, this has been exacerbated during the current pandemic, with many stories of blatant discrimination. Marek works for Community Renewal on their Local Conversations - Roma Govanhill project, and spoke about how he has been delivering food parcels alongside other members of the Roma community.

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Lombard has an extremely rare illness. MDP syndrome is only affects 13 people in the world. But this isn’t the only thing that make him unique – he also has an incredible eye for the perfect shot. Dylan’s photographs of lockdown paint a stark picture of familiar streets, emptied of familiar faces.

No matter what announcements are made in the coming weeks, it seems likely that we may be spending more time at home than we might have planned this summer. But the sun is out and it’s time to embrace what we have. The Hidden Gardens team have shared their tips on how to make your back court into an enjoyable green space in the coming months.

While the streets have all but emptied of vehicle traffic, there has been an increase in cycle journeys across Scotland. Many are taking up for cycling for the first time as a necessity for getting to work. While others are using their bikes to deliver essential services to those in need.

When missed collections resulted in what became known as ‘The Great Bin Disaster of 2018’, one group of Govanhill residents decided to take matters into their own hands. A weekly clean-up group transformed the back court space, creating a communal area that has become a lifeline for many during lockdown.

This year, Ramadan will last from the 23 April until 23rd May. During this time, Glasgow’s Muslims will not let anything pass their lips between dawn and dusk each day. Despite this, Glasgow’s Muslim community continues to do what they can to support those in need.

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.