Becoming Unbound: Getting Better Together at Shotts

so Laura I was really quite energised after listening to this this community's work what did you think?

I was really interested in it as well.

Yeah, they came across as a really motivated group of people with a real pride in their community and what their role is in that community as well.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, a couple of things that they said, I think it was Megs who said, we just kept pushing boundaries.

And, you know, attributed that effort to how they've got so much in place for their community.

Yeah, it was really interesting to hear the different roles that Mags has had with the project as well.

You know, that's almost your dream journey, being passionate about something in your community and making it happen online.

right from the start and then eventually getting to the point where you can get paid to continue to do that but she's had experience of you know being that community activist being a volunteer and now being a paid worker as well the dynamic between them all was lovely it was it was very warm and it sounds like a good organization yeah

Yeah, it was nice to listen to them bouncing off each other with the storytelling.

I

loved the story about her having to pull the kids out of school to turn up for the photo shoot.

And I think that's something that, you know, a lot of people involved in community projects or third sector organisations do.

um will identify with you know that you've got something set up and then at the last minute you're having to do a juggle and pull in people just for that photo opportunity i love that that's something that's very very warm and very identifiable i think

Indeed, indeed.

Yeah, grassroots work, getting the whole family involved, as in when.

I was very struck as well by Mark's attention to... keeping the organisation going.

He alluded to the funding difficulty several times, but always with a, we're looking forward to ensure we can keep this legacy moving.

I

mean, I've been involved in community work in Scotland since the 90s, and there was a big growth of healthy living centres at that time.

But there's not a lot of them still around today.

A lot of them have come and gone over the years, but the fact that the project in Shots has survived and still really delivering for the local community as well, I can understand, you know, that what came across was a real sense of pride in what they've achieved, and rightly so.

Absolutely, absolutely.

And in terms of, you know, keeping the project going, The weaving themselves into all of the things that the community does.

So the hospital discharge work, supporting people as they're leaving hospitals, as well as running the visitor center at the prison doors.