LIFE. Individual journeys around the eastend, sharing LIFE stories as we walk, creating an outdoor “museum” for the people of Shettleston. As Covid-19 changes the way we do LIFE, so Today Museum has changed for safe participation. In this archive, members of the community share stories which look to a future beyond the pandemic, describing their personal goals and dreams. They also share their hopes for environment change and the impact of COP26 Glasgow. This project is part of Creative Communities Artist-in Residence Programme (Shettleston ward) funded by Glasgow City Council and managed by Glasgow Life

“I’m really looking forward to next year when I have my own class. And I get to put my own ideas in, and setting my own tone for the classroom and really get to know the kids properly over a long period of time and investing in them. That’s what I’m excited about. I feel like this year, especially with the pandemic, it's been such a crazy year. It’s not been the kind of year you’d usually have training to be a teacher. I’ve had glimpses of the teacher I want to be and having those wee experiences where I felt like, this is how I want to impact children and want to help them. I’m looking forward to next year really. And hopefully I won’t have to use the hand sanitiser quite so much!”

“[My daughter] contracted Covid at the beginning of this and we ended up in hospital and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. So basically I was in hospital with her for the three weeks and I kind of just thought, and I knew, do you that way we all kinda knew that this was going to go on for maybe a year at the time. And I just thought, I don’t know how I’m going to cope with this ‘cause she’s not at school, I took her out of school straight away, and I thought ‘I can’t cope.’ So while we were in hospital I thought, do you know what, I’m going to do something from the house. I’m going to put all my energy into it, I’m going to focus on it, I’m going to make sure - and it was for my own sanity. While we were sitting there in the hospital - I’ve even got a picture of her in her hospital bed, me with my laptop and a cup of tea, I got two cups of tea that week and also they just shut the door in the Covid ward, the don’t come in really - and I’ve got a cup of tea and thought I was in heaven with my laptop and that was me starting to find a brand and a name and look at suppliers and what I could do. And literally like you just did, I got excited and it completely got me through everything that was happening. Obviously, you know, looking forward and thinking this and what I can do with her and how she can maybe help out and feel part of it and I can teach her that you can do anything at any time of life type of thing. So it was the wee story behind it.”

“I’ve completely changed the way I do my food shop now. So yesterday when I was in Morrisons, I think everything I bought was loose but things like grapes, I’m just not buying them because they come in plastic boxes but I absolutely love them. But what I was really shocked at, I started buying loose apples but do know how expensive loose apples are? Unbelieveable! So expensive. In Tesco I got two Braeburns and it was £1.11. I mean to be fair they were big apples but, shocking! It is interesting just going round, like it’s forced me to change what I eat though in order to shop more sustainably. I’ve definitely had to make changes for that but it’s impossible to get everything without buying any plastic. Just trying to make small changes, you have to be willing to do these things but it’s not always easy.”

“I find it really satisfying to look back and you see a nice clear path. I’m curious about what’s going to happen with COP26 whether they will be a big drive to clear up areas. There is a page called The Glasgow Cleanup, they’re really good, they’re doing a lot to encourage other people to do it, to either get together or do it by yourself. It’s really nice goal for everyone. It would be really nice if more people got involved and got into the community spirit a little bit because even through doing this I have met a couple of like locals around. If more people got involved, the more pride there would be.”

Hannah - “I’ve got a bottle!”

Rachel - “I’ve got a bottle too!”

Mummy - “There’s a couple more here, look!”

Rachel - “I’ll get this one!”

Mummy - “Do you think you’ll drop litter when you are older?”

Rachel - “No.”

Mummy - “Why not?”

Rachel - “I don’t want to, I want to be good to the world.”

Jayden - “English is like my main subject that I want to be good in because I need a qualification for it on what job I kinda want when I’m older.”

Rebecca - “So what job is it you want to do?”

Jayden - “An actor. Been in a couple of shows, I’ve been in a show Aladdin in January 2020, in Webster’s Theatre.”

Rebecca - “And why do you like acting, is there a part of it you really enjoy or?”

Jayden - “I’ve loved it ever since I was 7, I just wanted to be it since I was 7. I used to always go to pantomimes and I would just be like that, “Oh I wish that was me up there one day.””

“And I think that it doesn’t have to be big lifestyle changes, I think in order to be kind to our environment, and people, and not support modern slavery, I think it’s lots of little steps. And just taking little steps actully can make significant impact. So even just as simple as a reusable bag when you go shopping actually makes a really big impact ‘cause that’s a lot of plastic that you’re not throwing out which I think is really important. So yeah, I don’t think there has to be a complete lifestyle change when you get into a more ethical lifstyle, I think it’s about making baby steps and making little and small meaningful changes.”