This was what we were thinking. Down the Glasgow green and elsewhere and getting more frequent, park space carnivals, pay in, rip off entertainment, fenced off stuff and band gigs. Ok if that’s what people want to do. But the park isn’t really for that kind of stuff. Even at that, the money made of the park. (£16 million was raised in ticket sales from TRNSMT Festival 2018) yet the councils share cant fix up the winter gardens? Council continues to  plead poverty? 

So the thing is moaning at the council becomes just what people do. But along with protest there needs to be a compelling story to go along with the protest to get folk involved. The nature of councils without the right kind of pressure is political expediency and sweeping decisions, usually influenced by commercial viability.  The needs of our open, green and public spaces, is such more nuanced than that, in so many different ways. 

So the idea from our perspective (Common Good Awareness Project) is to look at the whole park as an integral part of the cities eco system and as a place of education for kids and parents. To look at what parks should mean and function like for the 21st century, in lieu of global warming etc. Like the explanation for the closure of the winter garden was that the wrong putty was used in the glazing and it is falling out, or the pigeons are eating it or some other such lame excuse. 

What happened to forward thinking, planned maintenance. These things don’t just happen. That is what we pay government employees for. Not to shut down important public institutions. But then, to use their own words. ( which cost £500,000 to promote) It is not the council who make Glasgow, it is people who make Glasgow. 

So without even thinking too deeply. For the Winter Gardens. Some of the glazing should be replaced with photovoltaic glass which could draw energy and help to light the Peoples Palace. Or tuned to led grow lighting, show folk how to grow food all year round. Get some renewable science in the place that would engage weans to think about their future as well as the place working as just a nice place to sit and have a cup of tea under the palms 

The park land is the same. A place for kids to explore the flora and fauna and innovate, nae shops. Preserving our mental health, looking at the clouds. 

So if there is things to be going on in parks it shouldn’t be to harm them but to share in their rich biodiversity, nature, and history. 

Thinking about activities to highlight these kinds of things, not only the surface but what lies under it, Geography, history walks, bike rides, looking at a real value analysis of our green space, and so on. 

So we are thinking about things like archaeology, growing, health, science, art,  in this context, like an introduction to encourage folk to take an interested in a fuller picture of what our green space means to us. To do a few workshops, pique interest, to see what happens, and if it goes further, all the better. 

So we are inviting folk with these kinds of interests to take part. Run a workshop with our support But what you would want to do is entirely up to yourself, with time constraints, family life, education, work. We know the script. 

But have a think and see if we can put some things together to challenge the present neoliberal story with one of our own. Ch Bob.