I came to Priesthill and the rest of the Glasgow Southside Cluster, knowing one thing with certainty (from my previous visits on the run up to my commission) the good folk at Priesthill wanted a new kitchen, and the people and place were something to be learnt (something that continues to this day).
So, what have I found? Tending to be introverted in nature really didn鈥檛 matter, the community has been very welcoming, from my first visits, to the weekly breakfast (run by Sanctuary Housing & NHS Health Improvement) to the Church run caf茅 (Scone club to the locals) people have been friendly, talkative and relationships with regulars have been easy to build.
In more practical terms, I discovered that more than just a new kitchen was needed, the garden is in desperate need of work to make it a functioning and safe space again with only half of it being accessible to the public at present.
What about local needs? Food insecurity is an issue, as with so many places, and there is a lack of children鈥檚 and young people鈥檚 provision in the area. Once we have been able to fund its redevelopment, the local Community Coordinator from Urban Roots (who manage the garden for the church), and I plan to look at ways we can use this green space to address these issues.
So, what have I learnt in my first few months? Firstly, it doesn鈥檛 matter if your congregation is small (we have eight at Priesthill at the time of writing) if the desire is there and you have good networks and partnerships the work can still be done. Secondly after a gap of several years, it鈥檚 good to be back and living in Scotland.
Priesthill URC and Shawlands URC are members of the Southside Cluster. Priesthill URC is based in 鈥楾he Hall鈥�, a former Roman Catholic Church social hall, which is situated on a post-war housing scheme of 8,500 residents on the south-west outskirts of Glasgow.
CRCW Alice Gilbert was called to the Priesthill & Shawlands URCs and commissioned and inducted on 26th August 2023.