Shops with the word "pound" in the title always conjure horrible images. However, Poundland in…read moreClydebank is really handy for little bits and bobs you can't find anywhere else. Case in point; last Christmas I was looking for a nice ribbon to wrap my gifts with. I couldn't find what I was looking for anywhere, until I popped into Poundland and found three metres of the nicest ribbon I had seen so far for only a pound. Poundland isn't one of those scabby pound shops filled with junk either. It is clean, brightly decorated and the staff are helpful. Oh dear, I've just realised I've turned into one of those people who go on about how great pound shops are. Next I'll be wearing tracksuit bottoms outdoors.

Good old Poundland, always a trooper if you're looking for wrapping paper or gift bags which can be…read moreas much as £5 elsewhere, £1 will do me fine thanks very much. I think the name says it all really, items all priced at a pound and therefore I feel it needs to be judged for what it is, it's not Harrods, so I'm amazed why so many people turn their noses up at these shops, it's not as if they're trying to be something they're not. The items they sell are a pound so big deal if some of it's tat? It can actually be quite amusing looking at some of the items they stock, such as crazy multi coloured feather dusters and £1 DVDs. I saw one a while ago that was a Halloween DVD and the stories were "House on The Haunted Hill" and "The Skeletons" oooohhh, they looked as though they were made by some lonely old guy with his home video camera. I kind of regret not buying it as I'm sure the comedy factor would have been awesome. I usually get really into the spirit of Halloween and Poundland is great for decorations, they have all sorts of things and I even noticed they had some rubbery severed limbs last year which looked hilarious. This is the same for Christmas party decorations and things for Birthday parties, especially if you have children you can get party bags and goodies to fill them with here. Overall, Poundland stocks the kind of items you would expect but it's not all tat in this shop and for household goods and party accessories this is a great shout.

OK are we all set for the party?…read more Kiddy food... check Soft drinks... check presents... check booze for the frazzled parents... check balloons... balloons... balloons?...feck Now rather than telling the story normally, let's go for something that best fits the 'eeeeeeeeek' manner in which the balloon less state left us. Ruuuuuuuuun.... buuuuuuuus.....waaaaaaaalk.....hiiiiiiiiiiii....... baaaaaallooooons please.......niiiiiiiiice daaaaaaay.......yeeeesssssss.....paaaaaaayyyyy.....waaaaaaalllllllk.....buuuuuuuus......hiiiiiiiiii hooooooney.....and relax Phew says i. Two kick ass balloons (one a giant silver foil number 2...as in the number, not the bodily function... not that you'd be expecting that, but just in case....oooh, i'm in a big hole) filled with floaty gas for aout 15 notes... pricey but cool. Oh and an update on the staff.... this time i was the grumpy frazzled one and she the nice friendly one... sometimes we can be too quick to judge!

This is the ultimate in tacky, novelty shopping, with everything from big bright balloons plastered…read moreall over the walls, to hen party costumes for the unashamedly tacky. From the moment you walk in the door, your eyes will be assaulted by the garish surroundings, you can't help but laugh. Since it specialises in party decorations and dressing up gear, it can be forgiven for being a little bit over the top and this just adds to its weird and wacky wonderfulness.

Cloud Nine has only recently appeared in Hamilton, hopefully following in the footsteps of it's…read moresuccessful small chain stores in Glasgow. It has everything you need if you are organising a party, birthday or wedding. Think balloons, confetti, favours, banners, cakes, party bags and much more! Cloud Nine are also specialists in cake making, and have sample pictures in store so that you can see the skills of the cake makers and they are really, really impressive to say the least. The wedding cakes are particularly spectacular, starting at 280.00 for a 3 tier simple design, which is really reasonable as wedding cakes go. They can be a very expensive business! The balloon arches and table decorations can be made as simple or elaborate as you like, the balloon within a balloon being my particular favourite! Displays start at 4 pounds per table display and can range into the eyewateringly expensive. The buzzword here is Celebration! This place is amazing for everything related to that, you could go crazy with the credit card in here for a party!

Dazzle has recently opened up for the Hallowe'en market and no doubt will be closed again in a…read morecouple of weeks. It has a wide range of costumes for everyone, and some I've never seen before such as Dino from the Flintstones and Mr. Potato Head. Prices vary, but they are quite steep in general. The advantage of a shop though, is that you can try before you buy. Last year I bought a hallowe'en costume online that was obviously designed for a 6 foot model, because the skirt was almost knee-length!! Yeas I know, we can't be having that.

I went in here purely because it's a play on my name. I jest. I noticed this new shop had opened so…read moreI popped inside for a nosey... and wow! This place is just bursting with costumes - as Liz said, it'll probably close down after Halloween (when else do people normally need an abundance of costumes?! Ok, christmas, sortof, but generally, Christmas isn't associated with pumpkin dress, no?), but it's fun while it lasts. It's quite pricey, but all the costumes look semi-professional (you know, not authentic disney, but a pretty darn good copycat), and they look like they'd last at least 1 night out on the tiles. My favourite costume bit - the couples section. "A Space Aged Couple Costume" was my favourite - rip off of the Jetson's anyone?! Fantastic.

Distinctive meeting and events venue in Glasgow, on the north bank of the Clyde river…read more Visited this week during the 2026 All Energy conference. The Armadillo and Ovo are architectural standouts on the Scottish Event Campus, but the main conference was held in the cavernous "train station like" building adjacent to them. This building was large enough to hold two giant exhibition halls on the ground level and many small meeting rooms on level 1. It was also conveniently connected by a covered tunnel to the local train station across the motorway, so local visitors and commuters could stay dry while walking over. Food options were plentiful (venison burgers, pork hot dogs, chicken gyros, etc.) and there were many establishments serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Looking forward to visiting again.

The SECC (strictly speaking, the SE&CC if you want to be pedantic as I like to throw out there from…read moretime to time) is a Glasgow institution. Once upon a time known as The Big Red Shed because it was... well, big and red, it's now a very bland shade of grey these days. Quite fitting, as there are newer, shinier, bigger and better venues not a stone's throw from it's well used doors. That's not to say it's a bad thing. The SECC still sees plenty of action in it's varied halls. You can find comic conventions, stand up comedy, gigs and even the odd bout of wrestling and boxing under the SECC roof at various times. There's plenty of options inside for drink and food, and yeah, you'll find it's a slightly over priced as you'd expect for big corporate venue, but not too much like some places *coughAcademycough* The staff are generally helpful and know what they're doing by now. I was there on Sunday and they managed to funnel 4000 people into Hall 3 in less than half an hour with little problems. The problem with the SECC isn't one of it's own doing... it's been replaced or superseded by it's near neighbours The Hydro and The Armadillo. It's not going anywhere soon, but you get the feeling it maybe needs a bit of an upgrade to stay relevant over the next few years, especially sitting in the Hydro's shadow.

Amazing company- so helpful during booking and on the night. Organised, friendly and welcoming…read more Used for multiple events and have never been disappointed- can't recommend enough!!

Absolutely awesome company…read more We hire Foxy Photo Booth to cover the photo booth with Marryoke video along with hiring their 5ft love letters and candy cart. We couldn't believe the quality of the Marryoke video. It was amazing. We picked our song and mimed along in the photo booth albiet a bit out of tune lol. They somehow managed to make use all look like we were in sync with the music. The photo booth prints were great too. We had print design with out colours and fonts. From our initial contact til after the wedding they were first class and couldn't have been more willing to help us along our journey. We thank you guys for the great memories captured on our high day.

Amazing array of balloons for any occasion. Tracy the owner is a party planner and shop displays…read moreare amazing. Browse online if you've an upcoming event

The great thing about this Matalan is the size. It's huge! It was made even bigger a couple of…read moreyears ago when a new section, M Party, was joined onto the store, making it one of the biggest units in the retail park. The thing I never really understand about Matalan is the need for cards. Why do they have them? It used to be that you had to have a card to buy anything, but on my more recent visit, I noticed they had slackened up on that, and it's now used for more of a rewards card than store ID. This store has everything; kids, women's and men's clothes, shoes and home ware. They have a brilliant underwear section and sell branded bras at less than half price. They even have Calvin Klein boxers at £9 a pack, which is less than half price, ideal for Xmas or Birthday pressies! I used the services that M Party provides for my 21st birthday party, and had cream and pink balloons with lovely little shimmery weights and bits and bobs for decorating the hall, all for under £100, which was amazing value! You have to collect the balloons yourself but that wasn't a problem. They have table decorations, age specific decorations and buffet ware, which is all fairly priced and available in every colour imaginable! They also make up banners if you want them, although I felt they were a bit pricey. Huge store with loads of bargains! The clothes in Matalan are getting nicer by the season, and I would highly recommend it for summer holiday clothes.

Excellent store with a wide range of clothing and household goods at good prices Recommended for…read moreFashion and Value. Has many goods that other Matalan stores don`t have.