Govan walking group hailed as a highlight of the week by care home residents

‘Meet Me in Govan’, a project by Invisible Cities, hosts weekly walks which have become a staple in the wellbeing calendar for the residents of Florence House. Every week residents from the care home take part in the walks, which are open to residents and community members, exploring the rich history the area has to offer. Trips have previously included the Govan Stones, Govan Shipyards and Elder Park.

Residents from Florence House view the group walking activity as a highlight in their weekly wellbeing calendar as it provides the residents with a regular link back to community, social interactions and gives them a chance to meet other people who live – and visit – the community.

Jennifer, aged 54, resident from Florence House said: “I really look forward to going to the Meet Me in Govan walks every week, for a lot of us it’s become the highlight of our week.

“We love getting out into the community and reconnecting with the places we’ve grown up and made memories in, and the added benefit is getting a chance to meet with other people on the tours – usually people with interesting and different backgrounds from us.

“Come rain or shine the walks go ahead; when it’s nice outside we tend to go round some of the historic sights in Govan and when it's raining – which in Glasgow is more often than not - we still manage to meet with the group and do a walk but it’ll be inside. We’ve done The Glasgow Science Centre and Sunny Govan Radio tours in the past when it’s been raining.”

The close partnership between Florence House and Invisible Cities was highlighted when Meet me in Govan celebrated its second anniversary at the care home, with celebrations including birthday cake, party hats, balloons, as well as lots of laughs.

Meet Me in Govan is a project run by Invisible Cities in collaboration with Govan Community Project, providing guided walks around the local area. The walks are filled with titbits of information, entertaining stories and importantly a genuine community connection.

The guides who lead the walking groups, ‘Walk Leaders’, come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and have experienced vulnerabilities including homelessness.

Invisible Cities who run the local Meet Me in Govan project, provide training programmes designed to lift the recruits out of social hardship and provide them with a job and an active role in society.

Michaela Ditrichova from Invisible Cities said: “We recognise how important our walking groups are for the local community in Govan.

“Consistency is the key - for many people coming along on a regular basis it’s one of the only sociable touchpoints they have throughout their week, and we know from feedback how valuable it is to those who attend.

“In just two years we have provided walks for over 600 people, I'm really proud of that. We are keeping the rich history of Govan front and centre of Glasgow’s heritage while providing entertaining, sociable experiences for people in the community and people who want to learn about the community.”

The Meet Me in Govan walks cover a range of topics on a six-week rotation, including: housing, work, culture and community, youth and education, immigration and languages, and sports and wellbeing.

Established in 2022, Meet Me in Govan is part of the Invisible Neighbourhoods programme in collaboration with the Govan Community Project.

Aileas Pringle, Community Development Worker, Govan Community Project said: “Our walking group has not only been incredibly important for telling Govan’s history, it has also been a valuable space to bring together diverse members of the community, who might not otherwise meet one another, to share their stories. The walks are incredibly important to our community members, and we are thrilled at the positive impact they are having on the regular walkers.”

Florence House is part of the Oakminster Healthcare Group which owns and operates five care homes across Glasgow.

Florence House offers nursing and residential care and has specialists available to support those living with dementia, who need palliative care, respite care and those under the age of 65 who require care home support.

The home can provide care for 55 residents with a range of care requirements.

For further information on the Meet Me in Govan programme visit: Invisible Neighbourhoods | Invisible Cities (invisible-cities.org)