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Frankie Vaughan changed the face of Easterhouse in the late
1960's.
Concerned by the gang warfare he saw among the young people he co-ordinated a successful weapons amnesty.
He gave money to set up the Easterhouse Project for local youngsters donating the proceeds from his concert takings at Glasgow Pavillion.
The project still helps young people from Easterhouse today. |
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Easterhouse Phoenix Development
Viennese Gala Ball 23 June 2012
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Karin says goodnight Vienna ... and hello Easterhouse
Glasgow will host its first Viennese-style masked ball to raise cash for an Easterhouse community group.
And celebrated Austrian flautist Karin Leitner was in Easterhouse to see how the money, which will go towards Easterhouse Phoenix Development, will be spent.
Organisers of the ball hope that some Viennese glamour will help power the transformation of Easterhouse, which has seen crime plummet in recent years.
The two places could barely be more different. The Austrian capital is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and was home to writers, musicians and philosophers.
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Easterhouse had a past reputation of territorial violence and grinding poverty.
Now, new housing and investment has rendered Easterhouse unrecognisable. And superb community work has made life better for the most vulnerable people living in the area.
Karin said: “I am very happy to support Phoenix in any way I can. I just find the project so inspiring.
“It is amazing to see the effect its work has on the people who take part.
“All we want to do is inspire people. If I can do something artistic to benefit the Easterhouse community, then I have achieved my aims.”
CLICK BELOW TO READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Star Joe vows to act to help Easterhouse
TELEVISION and stage actor Joe McGann has pledged to support an Easterhouse community group.
Liverpool-born Joe, whose three brothers Mark, Paul, Stephen are also actors, has vowed to work with Easterhouse Phoenix Development to help the most vulnerable people in the community.
The group works to combat gang violence in the area but also helps out pensioners and anyone else who needs assistance. Since the group formed two years ago, its charismatic founder Richard McShane has become a national commentator on gangs and youth issues.
Joe will give free drama lessons in Phoenix's new headquarters in Easterhouse's old library, which has not been used in several years. Today Joe said “I am impressed with Richard and Phoenix . He is working for the people of the community and genuinely cares about their well being. "
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When I go to Easterhouse, I see a community on the up.”
"When I was last there, an old lady saw me and shouted: 'Oi, McGann! I want to write a play.' So I thought why not?
"Now we've got the library, we could hold workshops that could result in community plays.
"There's nothing I won't do to help Richard."
In the coming weeks and months, Easterhouse Phoenix Development will turn the old public library on Shandwick Street into a community centre. It is currently in the process of raising £60,000 to renovate the building.
CLICK BELOW TO READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Phoenix United
The club was literally formed by picking boys up of the street. After Richard had a conversation with a couple of boys who told him that there were no football clubs in Easterhouse (unlike in Richard’s day when there 100+), Richard asked the boys to give him 16 names and he would see what he could do. The following day Richard was presented with 20 boy’s names and Phoenix United was born.
24 youths under the age of seventeen were involved in training and football matches in the 2009 – 2010 season. Many young people in the community across all ages have asked to be involved with Phoenix, due to lack of resources at present this is not possible. The aim is to develop the club as a facility for all ages. Currently Phoenix has an under 19’s team which is registered to play in the
2010 – 2011 GADYFL.
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Bartara (Blairtummock and Rogerfield Tenants and Residents Association)
Bartara was set up to bring local people together to deal with local issues. Bartara gives people a platform to share their experiences living in the areas of Blairtummock and Rogerfield and the power to determine their own future, facing the everyday reality of life in Easterhouse and the challenges that this entails.
Bartara aims to work with all local service providers, resolving difficulties and highlighting concerns. Bartara holds monthly meetings to which all local residents, tenants, councillors and service providers are invited.
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Next steps
Phoenix has received many enquiries concerning setting up a wide range of activities within the community but at this time this is impossible due to lack of facilities and resources.
The aim of Phoenix is to consolidate the work done so far and to find a base to house all its current activities and develop others as required.
We have successfully negotiated with the property department of Glasgow City Council to procure the old Shandwick Library which was lying vacant. Our aim is to turn this building into The Phoenix Community and Opportunity Centre.
To achieve our aim we need to raise a minimum of £60,000. We are applying to local and national funding bodies and are hopeful that we will get the help that we need. Anyone who can help us with ideas for funding should get in contact with us.
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Group Gets Booked Into Old Library
A community group in Glasgow’s East End has finally been given the go-ahead to turn a disused library into its headquarters.
Easterhouse Phoenix Development hopes to move into the library within months. The Evening Times last year revealed that the charity had been asking for access to the abandoned Easterhouse Library but this had been refused.
But last month the council’s arm’s-length building company, City Building, decided to give them the lease of the library, which will be shared with the Scottish Squash and Racketball Club.
Richard McShane, managing director of Phoenix, said: “We exist to help disadvantaged people in Easterhouse by giving them a chance to go somewhere they can take part in something, show them there are opportunities out there and put them on the right road to achieving those opportunities.
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“This will be our base so the community can come together. “We would like to say thanks to the Evening Times for supporting us in our efforts to use the library.”
Drama workshops, held by actor Joe McGann who was impressed by the work Phoenix was doing, will be held in the centre and there will be a pensioners’ club as well as music lessons. With little funding and no base, the group has worked tirelessly to help out people of all ages. People on community service orders will be drafted in to help renovate the building and Richard said of that decision: “It means offenders are putting something back into the community.”
Several years from now the library will be demolished along with Easterhouse shopping centre.
Until then Phoenix will be bid to raise enough cash to build a centre on the site where Frankie Vaughn made his famous plea for gangs to end violence.
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Phoenix Pensioner’s Club
The club was set up in January 2008 to meet the needs of the pensioner’s. At that time there was little provision in the local area for this age group.
Within a few short weeks of setting up 72 people had applied for membership. The club currently meets in the local housing association community hall which has a capacity of 60. A waiting list had to be adopted due to the capacity of the hall and health and safety issues. Currently the club meets once a week which could be expanded if the resources and a larger facility were available to meet the needs of the pensioners.
The pensioners participate in a variety of activities including singing, dancing, quizzes,bingo and day trips. The pensioners club performs an essential role within the local community.
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Yoga
Phoenix has been working with David Sye of Yogabeats™ to develop yoga in Easterhouse with some success.
The boys from the football team currently take part in Hot Yoga sessions once a week under the instruction of Lisa Miller.
This has helped to develop the boy’s fitness and state of mind. Yoga classes for the pensioner’s, mothers and children are currently taking place.
Meetings with David Sye are taking place to develop Yogabeats™ throughout Easterhouse.
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Support for the Easterhouse Phoenix Project
Actor Joe McGann spoke to The Hour last year about his involvement in the Phoenix project, which aims to rejuvenate and rebuild Glasgow’s run-down Easterhouse area and give the place a much-needed boost.
“Initially most of the help we got came from out with Scotland from people such as Joe McGann, Karin Leitner and David Sye. The good thing about it is that locally, I am getting support now.”
Flautist Karin is fully behind the Phoenix project and she thinks that Richard has done a great thing for the Easterhouse community. She said: “What Richard is doing is just so inspiring. It’s amazing that one person can make such a difference.
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With my music, it doesn’t matter if I play for 50 or I play for five thousand, as long as I feel I can reach someone and I can make a difference. The people are what matter to me really”
The Phoenix project puts on regular tea dances for the pensioners of Easterhouse and has asked the council for a piece of land so that trees can be planted. Scottish Squash want to install a racketball court in the area, and one of Richard’s main priorities is to re-open the local library to try and bring people together:
“I’m overwhelmed by the support and it’s amazing to see,” he said. “Local people are giving support now and we’ve all come together from all walks of life to progress a society.”
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