THE EARLY HISTORY OF A SPRINGBURN CHURCH

ST JAMES-THE-LESS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1872-1914 St. James’ beginnings in the nineteenth century In the second half of the 19th century, the Episcopal Church in Scotland experienced a revival of its fortunes following the darker days of disestablishment after 1688. The growing problem of the urban poor in the city in the latter half of the …

The Pilgrims Society – antidote to a dreich Monday @ccfest

A dreich Glasgow Monday afternoon in January isn’t the best time to tempt an audience out of doors. The Danny Kyle Open Stage at the 30th Anniversary Celtic Connections managed it fine.  In defiance of the grey, a long queue filled the hall and, first up, The Pilgrims Society, made it all worthwhile.  The six-piece …

Paradise Found

This article first appeared in Celtic View November 2022. My first time at a football match seemed like a good way to mark a significant zero birthday.  My Celtic daft, season-ticket holding grandson Eddie kindly obliged – bless him – with tickets to see Celtic play Motherwell at home on 1 October. I grew up …

‘Why doesn’t she just leave…?’

Getting free – leaving a violent partner c1960-1990 Content warning: this post contains description of domestic abuse. Please read with care – information on where to find support is listed at the end of the post. “Why doesn’t she just leave?”  This question, frequently asked about women living with violent men, is loaded with incomprehension …

‘Policing domestic abuse in late twentieth century Scotland.

Just a domestic’ or a working patriarchy? Content warning: this essay contains descriptions of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Please read with care – information on where to find support is listed at the end of this blog. The conviction of a serving Metropolitan police officer for the brutal abduction, rape and murder of Sarah …

BEUL NA h-UAMHA

BELNAHUA – MOUTH OF THE CAVE One of the four main Slate Islands of the Firth of Lorn, Belnahua is situated in the middle of open water with Mull to the north, Easdale five miles to the east and Scarba to the south.  The small, deserted island is still dominated by the great quarry at …

Placebo 50:50

How I gambled on a Covid-19 Vaccine trial and lucked out. During one of the daily Covid briefings late last summer, Nicola Sturgeon called for volunteers to take part in Covid-19 vaccine trials by registering on the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry portal .  Oh, I thought ‘science needs me’ so I registered my interest …

New online resource to tackle gender based-violence prevention on Scottish campuses

The University of the Highlands and Islands is one of seventeen Scottish universities that came together to create and fund access to a new training course to help prevent and eradicate gender-based violence in colleges and universities.   Building on the work of the Scottish Government’s Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit and carried out in …

ESHE Rapid Review III

This final Rapid Review report provides an analysis of interview, case study and documentary data from four Scottish colleges who agreed to pilot the Equally Safe in Higher Education (ESHE) Toolkit during the period 2018-2019.  The ESHE Toolkit provides guidance and resources for implementing a gender-based violence (GBV) prevention strategy in Scottish universities.  The aim …

ESHE Rapid Review II

A desk-based Rapid Review of existing gender-based violence (GBV) policy and practice,prevention and interventions in Scotland’s 19 HEIs was undertaken in 2017 (McCullough,McCarry and Donaldson, 2017). The Review concluded that, overall, positive action in the form of response, intervention and prevention was evident and that while activity in this area was fast-paced it did not appear to …