Still at the Heart of the Community: Cranhill Parish Church 1953-2013.
Author: Douglas McCreath

This booklet which was written to mark its 60th Anniversary documents the changing fortunes of Cranhill’s Parish Church over its relatively short period of existence. It is dedicated to the memory of the many good citizens of Cranhill who through the have given, and still give, of their time and talents to maintain  a community fit to raise their children and grandchildren.

Contents:
Foreword - A Tapestry of Faith                             Rev. Iain Greenshields
Memories of Cranhill at the 50th Anniversary         Jean Hart
Diamond Anniversary Memories                           Mary Hastie

Photo Galleries: Youth Organisations, Wedding Belles, Beautiful Babies.

Chronological Narrative ( related to the each of the Church’s ministers)
• In the Beginning: (Rev. R. Stewart)
• Winds of Change?  (Rev. A Spence)
• An ‘Aye Been’ Culture?: (Rev. R. Reid)
• The Church and Community Advocacy (Rev. I Greenshields)
• The Dawning of a New Era (Rev. J Trevorrow)
• Inspiring Cranhill (Rev. M. Pearson)

Reflections in our Diamond Year Rev.                  Muriel Pearson

Extract from the Kirk Session Minutes (1953)

The booklet was distributed at the Anniversary Service on 9th June 2013.  A limited number of copies are still available.

A new book about Cranhill will be published during the summer.

It offers a photographic peek at the early years of Cranhill.  From the 1950’s brand new schemes, such as Cranhill, sprung up around the fringes of the city.  Cranhill was among the first of those completed in the East End.  

Many of the scheme’s first residents thought that, in comparison with the overcrowded and often unsanitary conditions of the city’s old industrial areas from which they had come, living in Cranhill was like living in the country.  Despite the initial lack of amenities such as shops and schools, everything was brand new, crackling with hope and optimism. The photographs have been selected with the intention of conveying some sense of the spirit of those days.

The book’s title reflects the words of the ballad ‘Here I go again looking back on yesterday’ from Jim Diamond’s Sugarolly Days album.  The author comments: ‘We did not know then that our playground, the so-called Sugarolly Mountains on the banks of the Monkland Canal, contained toxic hexavalent chromium.  That apart I have yet to meet anyone of my vintage who does not look back  nostalgically on a Cranhill long gone’.

The book is not  targeted narrowly at Cranhillonians.  Although it is about Cranhill, the same story can be told of any of Glasgow’s post-war schemes. If you have links with any of them you will readily identify with its account.  

All profits will be used to support local community activities. 

Watch this space.

For almost three years since it was formed, Cranhill Youth Action Group (CYAG) has been working to have a community mountain bike track built in Cranhill.  

The group's initial preference of a site was that of  the former St Modan’s Primary School. When initial hopes to acquire  a short-term community lease of the site were dashed, alternatives were sought.  These included the option currently being explored - the corner of Cranhill Park at Bellrock Street and Startpoint Street.

A ‘permission to use’ agreement has been secured from the Council’s Land and Environmental Services Department, one of three partners supporting the venture. The other two are Strathclyde Police and Glasgow Housing Association.  The plans for the track have been drawn up by Land and Environmental Services and a preliminary geotechnical analysis completed.  A full site-based geotechnical survey is underway - a task necessary given the revealed presence of former mine-shafts.  The results wil be published when known.

In addition, a bicycle workshop is in planning. Two local young men have been trained as mechanics. Initially, with the support of Glasgow Life, this will be located at the Cranhill Beacon.