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.

The sun shone on Govanhill for the day of the annual carnival, which took place on the 6 August. Community groups and organisations met in Govanhill Park before parading through the streets of Govanhill and ending with a festival in Queen’s Park. The following images were taken by photographer, Alexander Hoyles.

Radio Buena Vida has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the last push towards opening their own café, a dedicated space for DJs and radio hosts to run their shows and for the general public to enjoy the music.

The anti-racist Govanhill International Festival and Carnival (GIFC) celebrates the diversity and creativity of the Govanhill community. Lasting for two weeks between the 2 and the 14 of August, and featuring diverse events, from concerts, to workshops, to photography exhibitions. Read the full programme here.

Continuing in our collaborative series with Simon Murphy, we spoke to Casian Covaciu, a trainee barber who lives in Govanhill, about Roma weddings and life in the area.

The transfer of assets such as buildings from the council to community ownership is often spoken about as a neat solution to an ongoing problem, but the process is much more complex than that. Alex Wilde, looks into the case of the Govanhill Baths and whether community ownership represents greater justice for a community.

The annual, and consistently brilliant Refugee Festival Scotland is in full swing. The theme this year is storytelling and there are so many events to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. We rounded up some of those we’re most looking forward to in and around Govanhill.

As part of Refugee Festival Scotland on Wednesday 22nd June, Radio Buena Vida will be airing the show as a culmination of a number of workshops with those with experience of the asylum system.