GIVING TO GLASGOW

RUN AROUND!

‘Honey I’m Hame’Rates of residents without ahome dramatically droppingthis year!

Exclusive : Grab your RUNNING SHOES and check

out the top running events for Charity! Sign up now and getinvolved for a great cause!

APRIL 2014free magazine

Speak out girls!Advice & help forwomen facing domesticabuse and suffering ingangs.

SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

EXCLUSIVE

The ultimate guide to city charityThe ultimate guide to city charity

GIVING TO GLASGOW

Editor, Sj McDonaldTweet me @sjanemcdonald

MAKE A CHANGE TO YOUR CITY TODAY!GIVING TO GLASGOW is local publication targeted to assist the most vulnerable people across the city, givingadvice and support on a wide variety of topics. Make achange today and get involved in local charity events, findout information on the work that charities do throughoutthe city and how we can help you get the support youneed.

APRIL 2014COVER STORIESP2 Homelessness Falls in

GlasgowAn Insignt into the decliningnumber of homeless peoplein the city with exclusive interviews withShelter Scotland &the Glasgow City Mission

P3 Run AroundSlip on your running shoes andget there out for a great cause!GTG names the top charity walking & running events youcan get involved in this year.

P6 Protect women from gangs & abuse today.Exclusive report into the gang culture abuse. Help is at hand for young women living in fear.

H A V E Y O U R S A Y TODAYCharity events? Trouble at home or just feeling down? Write to me and tell me topicsyou want to discuss, email at Sjmcdonald27@me.com or tweet @sjanemcdonald

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The number of people seeking help for homelessness in Glasgow has fallen by 11% thisyear according to Scottish Government figures.With just under 10,000 people without a home, localcouncils and charities are offering housing optionsand homelessness prevention advice. Shelter Scotland works to keep people off the streets,helping over half a million people annually. With 40shops across the Country, workers assist local communities in gaining basic amenities for theirhomes.Manager of Shelter’s Hamilton based store, TracyLyons explains the kindness of the public,“The charity does great work for a range of peoplewho are struggling from being homeless to strugglingwith their rent on a daily basis”“I am always so overwhelmed by the generosity andwe get around fifteen bags of donations every day andthe charity makes a major difference to thousands ofpeople.”“I think that charity shops benefit so many people’slives and without them so many families would struggle.”Throughout the city there are many places where vulnerable people can get food every day for free orfor a small donation. The Glasgow City Mission wasfounded in 1826 and was the first mission of its kind inthe world.The Christian run organisation provides Scotland’sbiggest food bank, working with adults and childrenwho are disadvantaged, leading chaotic and challenging lives. The charity aims to break themaway from their overbearing circumstances such as

addiction, poverty, prostitution or emotionalissues- perhaps all of these and more.City centre Project Manager, Ewan Clydesdale explains the importance of keeping people off thestreets,“Without the funding we receive, I’m not sure what wewould do to support people in Glasgow. On average,we serve 160 men and women every evening but overthe last few years this has reduced.”“Our key goal is to provide sustenance for people,however, our aim is to build relationships with thesevulnerable people to earn the right to speak into theirlives.”“If we can change the life of at least one person at a time, I know that the mission is doing good inGlasgow.”Glasgow City Council provides a homelessness service to anybody who is threatened with homelessness or is homeless, through its CommunityCasework Services.The Community Casework Service functions within 3Social Work areas throughout the city, with staff onhand to discuss your circumstances and advising youon the next step. With a decline in struggling households to make endsmeet, Glasgow City Council and local charitiescontinue to be at the forefront of assisting vulnerablefamilies.

If you or anyone you know is struggling withhomelessness please contact Community Case-work Services on 0800 838 502 or alternatively logonto https://www.glasgow.gov.uk for more info.

Homelessness Falls in Glasgow

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In the past year, runners have raised over £1.5million for charities and good causes acrossScotland. Without the hard work of these dedicated individ-uals training and taking part in these events,many charities would struggle to make a change,with nine major charities involved in runningevents throughout the year, there is something foreveryone to get involved in.With age, sex and distance being no boundary formany of these events, the outlook of running canbe overwhelming to novices, so here are 4 majorevents that run throughout Scotland for you to getinvolved with. BUPA WOMENS 10K 2014Alzheimer Scotland is on the search for women tojoin their team in the newly sponsored BUPAWomen’s 10K 2014 on Sunday the 11th of May2014 at Glasgow Green. Glasgow plays host tothe largest and most successful women’s races inthe United Kingdom, known for its atmosphericand friendly women only 10K in Britain, this is anevent not to be missed.Alzheimer ScotlandParticipant for 2013, Holly McDonald says, “ Inever thought I would have had the capability torun as a first timer at this, but it was so wonderfulrunning at my own pace for a great cause. Iraised over £200 for my gran who sadly passedaway last year who I know would be extremelyproud of me. I cannot wait for this year’s race for a great cause’

For further information please go towww.alzscot.org/fundraising/running/ for allthe details.

Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run 2014Entries for the Bank of Scotland Great ScottishRun 2014 are now open, taking place on the Sunday the 5th of October 2014. With over25,000 people hitting the streets of Glasgow for agreat cause, there is every opportunity to sign up. Breast Cancer Care is looking for women andmen in this year’s Great Scottish Run. Whetheryou are willing to take on the 10k or the halfmarathon, this iconic event should not be missed. Every ten minutes another woman in Scotland discovers the awful news that she has breast cancer. The scale of women diagnosed and livingwith the disease comes in at over half a millionevery year, making breast cancer the most common of all cancers in the UK. With more andmore women enduring the physical effects andstress that comes along with the diagnoses andtreatments, Breast Cancer Care funds can reachall women diagnosed, providing vital informationand support to them and their families.

For more information on Bank of Scotland’sgreat Scottish run please go tohttp://greatscottishrun.com p3

RUN AROUND!The Great Scottish Charity Running Guide 2014.

The Annadale Challenge

The challenge is a 30 mile walk along TheAnnadale Way on the 21st of June 2014, one of Scotland’s most recent walking routes. Throughouta Scenic route from Moffat following the RiverAnnan south, the walk, which finishes at HuddomCastle, aims to raise money for The Prince &Princess of Wales Hospice is a registered charityproviding care free of charge to all of our patients.The cost of doing so is an estimated £4.9 millioneach year and, despite generous support fromNHS Greater Glasgow, £3 million must come fromvoluntary contributions and fundraising activities.

The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice assistspatients in achieving the best quality of life forwhatever time they have left. Where it is notpossible to add days to live, the hospice aims toadd life to the days patients have left and as aregistered charity, all care is completely free.Raising over £12,000 everysingle day just to keep the doors open, thehospice is a bane of love, enthusiasm and generosity of thousands of people each year.A representative of Glasgow City Council, Landand Environmental Services says ‘‘we were ableto spend a considerable amount of time workingwith the Hospice when providing the land atBellahouston.

Glasgow City Council where more than happy togift the land for this allocated plot as The Princeand Princess of Wales Hospice contributes an extensive amount of care and time for the people of Glasgow.’’

The Annandale Challenge aims to be a rewarding experience both physically and mentally. You areable to enter with a team between four to ten par-ticipants made up of friends, family and work colleages, aiming to complete the walk within a 14hour period. Each walker must contribute £30 registration fee and each team must raise £100 insponsorship per person.

For more information, please contact Debbi on 0141 429 9861 or emaildebbi.limond@ppwh.org.uk.

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The Kiltwalk2014

The Kiltwalk Glasgow to Loch Lomondevent has returned, set to be bigger andbetter than ever before on the 27 of April2014, with various walks including a 13mile route and a 6 mile ‘wee walk’.Yorkhill Children’s Charity will be support-ing the walk as one of the six official Kilt-walk Charities to receive a share of theproceeds from the SECC to Loch Lomondevent. Led by some of Scotland’s biggest celebri-ties, walkers will be piped from two ofGlasgow’s best landmarks, the Armadilloand the new Hydro at the SECC. Partici-pants will make their way along the 23mile route from the Clyde, onwards alongthe walkways to Loch Lomond Shoreswith pit stops on the way by each charity.In support of Yorkhill Children’s Charitywhich helps thousands of Scottish chil-dren annually, 50% of the money you raisewill go to thechildren’s charity.

Join TEAM YORKHILL today! You canregister for ANY of the 2014 events usingthe password : yorkhill and to registerplease visit www.thekiltwalk.co.uk

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Protect women from gangs & abuse Campaigners are calling for specialist teams to be put intohospital trauma units to identifyand help female gang members.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) believes the daily suffering ofthousands of young women goesundiscovered until it is too late.They want to identify those at risk ofliving the gang lifestyle, where rapeis used as a weapon and carryingdrugs and guns are seen as normalwith girls as young as eight beingforced to carry drugs.The CSJ wants support workers tobe put in hospital trauma units tofind victims and for further supportto be given to assist women toleave gangs around Scotland.The CSJ is a right-wing think tankcreated by the current CabinetMinister, Iain Duncan Smith whenhe was Conservative Party leader.It carried out research with the London youth charity XLD,speaking to current and formergang members, government agencies and voluntary charities.Becoming involved in gang culturehas a detrimental impact on educating young women in order forthem to escape life within a pack,completing school and gaininghigher education qualifications.Schools have been seen turning ablind eye to gangs in order to keepthemselves safe and to protect theirown teaching reputation. Researchhas shown that teenage femalegang members have beenpressured into having sex with boysas young as 10-years-old to initiatemales into the gang. A recent caseuncovered a schoolgirl was abducted and assaulted by ninemale members of a gang as shecriticized one of the men.Women who are associated withrival gangs are targets and liable for

being attacked. A “line up” is commonly used where women areforced to perform sexual acts onseveral men in a row.Furthermore, young women are frequently used as mules to concealweapons and drugs, often in prams,as they are less likely to be stoppedby police.Headmistress of St Peter theApostle High School, Linda Boothexplains ‘’Gang culture in Glasgowis increasingly big and can often beseen to start in the classroom, although we cannot condone it,safety is our priority.”“If a pupil breaks the school code,we have every right to disciplinethem in way that prevents harm toother pupils and staff on campus,however, for the safety of thosepeople, it is best not to delve toodeep and get involved”Chief Inspector Campbell Crawfordis the area commander for PoliceScotland in East Renfrewshire andis responsible for the daily runningof policing throughout the Southsideof Glasgow, ensuring that targetswithin local policing are achieved.He says “ The report releasedshowed what is termed as a ‘BrutalUnderworld’ where women areviolently abused. We have comeacross many cases where youngwomen especially have been takenadvantage of and exploited.”“As long as we have a committedteam at the station, a communitythat is willing to co-operate and report any suspicious behavior wecan prevent this. We will do everything in our power to ensurethat young women are protectedthroughout the community and thisstarts in local areas.”Local Councils such as EastRenfrewshire Council aim to pursueresearch into the violence and prevent further abuse towards

young women with projects such as‘The Domestic Abuse Project’(DAP) offering support to empowerwomen, young people and childrenwho are experiencing or haveexperienced domestic abuse. The project provides a 24-hour helplineand drop in service with supportworkers who are on hand to helppeople in need. The DAP providesvulnerable families with a safeplace to stay, with refuge accommodation and outreachservices to ensure those who donot wish to leave their homes are ina stable position. Schemes such asthese benefit over 25,000 women in

local areas a year, with EastRenfrewshire being just one example of the many projects thatrun to assist families in Scotland.

If you are experiencing or knowof anyone suffering at the handsof domestic abuse, please con-tact your local police station oralternatively log ontohttp://www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/ to find the local supportnetwork in your area.

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