Market on the Green is part of the Gorbals Recycles Project. The head office is based in Commercial…read moreRoad in the Gorbals where the shop there is a bike shop. This branch is a charity shop with some cracking merchandise on sale. The charity shop offers free uplift for any old items you may want to give away. Gorbals Recycles aims to prevent land fill by recycling people's old furniture, brick-a-brac etc. They sell really good quality items and clean everything brought into the shop. The volunteers steam clean and tag the garments in the back shop. The shop is although in the city centre is a bit hidden away. It's located at the bottom of Saltmarket near to the high court. It's not got a lot of passing trade hence why I thought I should Yelp this project. Gorbals recycles supports volunteers and unemployed trying to get back into work. It's an excellent project and deserves lots of support. The shop is in a lovely spot where Glasgow Green is just over the road, so if you're ever swinging by to Glasgow Green swing by Market on the Green.

I used to visit St Margarets hospice quite often when they had one of their charity shops in…read moreSauchiehall street. They took over this old shop quite a few years ago possibly the second biggest charity shop other than the Salvation Army. Inside they have quite a large selection of furniture, Bric a brac, shoes and jewellery. Not often that l ever see anywhere that sells records these days these guys had 100's of them must have been a recent donation. I quite often donate items to this shop they always have a quick turn around of items. Some items can be expensive to buy one of my negatives at this shop when l donate a lot of items and they pick it up you are not given a time when they will be there for collection so feel it's such a waste of a whole day.

The Red Book Shop is situated on London Road, five minutes walk from Trongate. I'd never heard of…read morethis place before I saw it today, lucky since I was just passing and would've missed it had I gone on my usual route to the Barras. It's small and apparently only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday but it's worth checking it out if you're looking for some studying material (especially if you're into your politics, which I'll get to later). Each bookshelf is well ordered and split into sections so it's easy to find what you're looking for if you're in a hurry. It's very well priced and I can imagine it being interesting for book collectors as many of the novels and theory books looked like they were at least 50 years old (great for nostalgia). The books looked in good enough second hand condition, and sometimes it's nice to buy a yellowing, well fingered read, anyway. Shows the book's had more than just a shelf life. The shop also has a collection of political activist T shirts on offer, of a socialist nature. I know statments made on similar T-shirts have been consistently popular amongst fashion conscious students but these ones are especially designed to convey politial messages. I picked up 3 books; one of which was Sense and Sensibility with a gorgeous, well adorned hardback 70s cover. It was what attracted me to it and it didn't escape the attention of the shop owner, who without me having to say began educating me on the style of cover art from that era. The two guys who were in were full of friendly banter and I got 3 books for 3 pounds so I was a happy customer. A lot of the books were political commentaries, and I got the impression the shop was aimed towards people interested in socialist theory (hence the 'Red' in the shop title), but it's not all it's got to offer and so is worth a gander. The emphasis this shop seems to be on ideas and intelligent reading. Be your purpose here be political, on a quest for learning materials or just for kicks, you won't be disappointed (and on a superficial level, it's worth going in just to get a sniff of that delicious old book smell).

There is a certain magic that lingers in old theatres, and it positively oozes out of the walls of…read morethe Panny. I've been wanting to visit here for quite some time, and finally managed it thanks to a show that I was working on. This part of Glasgow used to be awash in theatres, variety houses, music halls, circuses, and all the other popular 'decadent' attractions that so incensed the established church in the 18th & 19th century, ultimately resulting in many of them closing down. Several others also succumbed to fire, so it is all the more remarkable that the Panopticon has survived. It's a long way from being fully restored, but there is a fascination in seeing the bare bones of the building, and at least the exterior stonework has been cleaned and restored to its former glory. Judith and the Trustees do an incredible job in keeping the place alive and honouring its past with displays of posters, photographs, and an eclectic collection of costumes and props around the place. Go and do a tour, or better still go and see a show or a film; this is an important piece of theatrical history that deserves your support.

I looooooooove this place! I was first introduced to this old girl back in 2006 through the…read moreMinistry of Burlesque. I saw a burlesque dance class advertised on the Ministry's website that ran for 4 weeks and I thought, och why not. I had done a couple of Club Noir classes but I was looking for more dance based workshops. I was a little apprehensive as the entrance I had to use was to cut through the Mitchell's Amusements. I thought ok this is weird. Well I found the stairs which is located pass the amusements staff room. I headed upstairs, I was quite excited and low and behold I wasn't disappointed. It was a hidden treasure with soooo much beauty. There's memorabilia at each side of where the audience sits and much more on the small stage. It's absolutely stunning. I also find it weird looking at the God Save The King flag but every time I see a photo and I see the flag in the background you know instantly it's in the Panopticon. It's a beautiful building and the exterior has been recently been renovated to it's traditional stone colour from the blue it had dorned for many years. The actual main stage is hidden behind a partician on the small stage as the original stage is very delicate and can't be used or you'll probably end up downstairs on a puggy machine. I have rehearsed and performed here so many times now and I have to say out of all the places I have performed this is my favourite venue. It had adequate changing space and just an amazing atmosphere. The Panopticon also runs music hall memories with tradional songs, Laurel and Hardy film nights as the famous Stan Laurel performed at the Panopticon many many years ago and they've now starting running Bazaars. There' s much history to this place and Judith who takes care of the old girl wrote a book which is a must buy. Stan Laurel and other stars of the Panopticon, The story of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall. She is very knowledgeable and has such amazing stories. The Panopticon is one of the oldest music halls in possibly the world. If you ever get the chance this is a place you've just got to visit. Pop along to one of the shows as you are guarenteed a great performance by a very talented cast.

Embarrassingly this was the first time I've given blood in a couple of years. Since moving to…read moreGlasgow last year I've been meaning to do it. After seeing on Facebook that they were running low on my blood type (a good thing to keep an eye on) I thought I'd look up when they were open. Turns out you can make an appointment after work on Wednesday and Thursday. They are open until 7 these nights, which is great! No excuse for 9-5 people ;) All the members of staff were brilliant, I go there at 6.05 and had left by 6.50. It probably would have been quicker, but because it had been over two years I had to see a senior consultant. The lady giving out juice and bicutes afterwards was lovely, and really made sure you were feeling fine before letting you leave. All in all this place is a great resource, well run and spotlessly clean. It's in such a convenient location if you're in town as well. I need to make an effort to give blood more often!

Any excuse to visit Nelson Mandela place is welcome. I am so unbelievably proud that the city I…read morecall home renamed the place where the South African Consulate was located in 1986. South Africa was still apartheid and Nelson Mandela was still imprisoned. So any excuse to visit is welcome even if it involves giving up some of my blood. The centre is located in a beautiful building and is as you would expect spotlessly clean. All the staff here are lovely and I can imagine that if you were in the least bit nervous would be amazingly good at talking you down and getting your blood. As far as I am concerned the absolute best bit about donating blood is that you are forced to have a snack and a drink before they let you leave! Obviously with me there has never been any need to use anymore force than "tea, coffee or juice?" and I'm always going to choose a tunnocks tea cake.

The Bambury is a great place for the local community, offering services such as after school care,…read morea creche and a cafe, as well as ever changing youth projects for local schools and the surrounding community. I first heard about this place when I was at school, intrigued that they had a decent music department and volunteers that were keen to get local kids with an interest in music on board. As a little drummer girl, I was dying to go along and see what was on offer. My friends and I went along and were amazed at the facilities, including a practice room with a drum kit, guitars and amps, as well as decent recording facilities. Absolutely free of charge, we were able to go along and practice, or even just try our hand at something new. On one occasion, there was a drum workshop, where there were all sorts of drums including toms and bongos, which were combined together, with lots of us playing at the same time. Lots of fun and a great local initiative to get kids involved in music and encourage them to get involved in their local community.