Today Museum Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rebecca Fraser
Our final episode in the series is 'Change'- 4 stories exploring different changes we make in life. From new faith to new shopping habits this episode covers the broad range of changes we experience through LIFE.
Alex describes his spiritual transformation and the impact it made on his wellbeing and relationships, inspiring him to serve the church and connect with his community.
We then meet Margaret for a walk in Tollcross Park, she tells her story of moving from rural Fife to Glasgow's eastend and how this adventure has sparked a new chapter of friendship in her life.
Our doorstep chat with Susan is based around environmental change and making sustainable choices. We discuss the practicalities involved when trying to lead a more ethical lifestyle- from the financial cost to the time restraints which can make it hard. Ultimately we leave our conversation hopeful that even our small changes are making a difference.
We end our episode with the inspirational June- the founder of the Hi-T Company in Shettleston. June warmly welcomes us into her tea room and treats us like royalty as she explains how her daughter's encounter with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic motivated her to start her business in lockdown. Now going from strength to strength she hopes her story is an example to her daughter that she 'can do anything at any time of life'.
In this episode we listen to 4 LIFE stories linked by the theme 'identity'. We meet Debbie and her 'brood' on the Tollcross Park Buggy Walk and hear how her double buggy has helped her make friends during a pandemic. Michael talks about his roots in Shettleston and shares his family photo album with us. Jo Anne describes growing up in the 80's and 90's and the traditions passed down in the catholic community. We also chat to Kenny about his love of tennis which started when his dad took him to play at the free public tennis court in Tollcross Park and the long lasting impact this made on his life.
In Episode 4 we celebrate the joy of finding your place within a community.
We meet friends, Paul and Yacoub, who are both runners (although unfortunately injured at the time of the interview!) for a walk around Tollcross Park. They talk about their International Running Crew and the benefits of working together to achieve fitness goals as well as a growing friendships.
We then wander down to Shettleston Growers to explore their community garden with Kenny. Kenny explains that this natural haven, planted on ex-industrial land, 'is not just an allotment, it's a community'.
We end by chatting with Corinne in Mount Vernon, as she reminisces about her teenage years at the local riding stables. Although we laugh about 'the drama', we ultimately look back on a childhood spent with good friends and the benefit of 'belonging' to a close knit community.
In episode 3 we meet with Engy, Debs and Scott on 3 socially distanced 'walk and talks'- each bringing an object to the LIFE archive which represents a 'learning' experience- a family photo, a lanyard and a newspaper review.
For Engy and Debs their stories are based in the middle of a pandemic- attempting (and succeeding!) to learn university qualifications remotely in lockdown.
For Scott he reminisces about a community theatre project which opened his eyes to the world of acting, but more importantly made him aware of his capacity for learning new things.
All three stories reveal the emotional impact of 'learning'- the determination to succeed, the strength to overcome challenges, and the ultimate relief of reaching the final goal. But ultimately what links Engy, Debs and Scott is their sense of calling, the joy of finding themselves exactly where they are meant to be.
In episode 2 we meet Martin and his two young sons on a riverside adventure by the Clyde- Martin explains how the banks of the River Clyde became a daily retreat during lockdown- and the importance it still plays in his relationship with his boys.
The Today Museum crew continues their journey along the River Clyde with an afternoon cycle with Callum. Callum describes how his bike rides have helped him cope with life in a pandemic.
We end our adventure with Paul- a local dad who shows us around the hidden gem of Auchenshuggle Wood AKA 'the forest'. A wild spot of forestry commissioned land by the banks of the river and the M74.
In 2021 Today Museum Parkhead took to the streets of Glasgow's Eastend to 'walk and talk' with local residents. Adapting to a world with COVID-19, our one-to-one sessions allowed us to gather LIFE stories as part of our Creative Communities residency for Glasgow Life. These stories were then archived on our website: www.todaymuseumparkhead.com
Now in Spring 2022 we are revisiting these stories in our first podcast series! Each episode will be specially curated around a key theme, linking the LIFE stories of friends, family and neighbours, creating an audio snapshot of our community.