WebMarApr18

www.westendermagazine.com 

MAR/APR 

| 1

2 | www.westendermagazine.com 

THERE ARE SO MANY 

WAYS TO LOVE 

JOIN // HOST // SHOP 

For more information: 

www.stelladot.co.uk/lorainepatrick 

lorainepatrick1@me.com

www.westendermagazine.com | 3 

Contents 

6 Fashion pages 

spring pastels 

12 West End Live 

with Greg Kane 

15 Mother’s Day gifts 

16 Writers Reveal 

meets Sally Magnusson 

20 Cover to cover 

22 Top Things 

24 Getting to know 

artist Neil Slorance 

28 Shop local guide 

32 WIN! At Rainbow 

Room International 

33 NEW! Poke bowls 

at Wudon 

34 Bar Review 

The Lismore 

35 Spring menu at 

Square Bar & Restaurant 

37 Restaurant Review 

The Cran 

38 Sweet Liberty 

40 Business: 

Going it alone 

45 20th Anniversary 

for Independent 

Mortgage Store 

46 Accountancy Matters 

with Murrison & Wilson 

47 Legal Matters with 

Mitchells Roberton 

48 Empowerment pants 

and you 

50 Health Matters 

53 Mum’s Notebook 

54 Interiors article: 

Natural accents 

59 Bold as brass 

61 Statement storage 

66 Wee Kitchen Shop 

interview 

FRONT COVER Necklace & Scarf, 

Pink Poodle 

THIS PAGE Top, Nancy Smillie 

Ring & necklace, Cassiopeia


contributors 

Suzanne Martin 

Editor 

Gregor Reid 

Photographer 

Terri Craig 

Make-up Artist 

Nicola Maule 

Writer 

Michele Gordon 

Writer 

Susan Robertson 

Writer 

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Publisher: Westender Magazine 

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damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from 

negligence, accident or any other cause. 

Westender Magazine does not officially endorse any 

advertising material included within this publication. 

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SPRING 

PASTELS 

Images Gregor Reid


Dress, Solo 

SHoes, Charles clinkard 

Bracelet, pink poodle 

Bag, Daniel Footwear

8 | www.westendermagazine.com


Dress, Ruby woo 

belt, liquorice tree 

boots, daniel footwear 

opposite page 

slip, silks 

necklace, cassiopeia


jumper, jasmine. jeans, solo. 

trainers & BAG, daniel footwear. necklace, pink poodle 

opposite page - dress, cos. knecklace, liquorice tree 

model iona dodd @ Coloursagency.com MUA terri craig, terricraig.co.uk 

stylist jacki clark, jackiclark-stylist.co.uk photography gregor reid, gregorreidphotography.com

www.westendermagazine.com | 11


LIVE 

March 

Siobhan Wilson & Pronto Mama 

Saturday 3rd of March 7pm 

Paisley Arts Centre, paisley.org.uk 

My brother’s always harping on 

about how good Pronto Mama are so 

I thought it about time I did some 

digging to find out what’s what. It 

seems my brother has good taste. 

Pronto Mama are a six-piece 

alternative indie rock and roll 

outfit from Glasgow, known for their 

distinctive jazz-influenced songs, 

unconventional time signatures 

and infectious pop melodies. Their 

debut Album No Joy has just been 

released on Glasgow Kelvin College's 

Electric Honey record label 'The most 

successful student-run label in the 

world' (Uncut), and is an eclectic 

collection of intricately crafted 

surprisingly memorable songs. 

Siobhan Wilson is one of the best 

of the current crop of high calibre 

Scottish Songstresses. She is 

blessed with natural beauty and such 

an angelic voice, but there's also a 

hint of the mischievous about her 

too. A powerful combination. 

Choice Tracks: 

Pronto Mama 'Sentiment' 

Siobhan Wilson 'Terrible Woman' 

Los Pacaminos 

Wednesday 7th March 7pm 

Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk 

Cowering under their Stetsons this 

motley crew from London play good 

fun Tex Mex music usually to high 

spirited adoring mobs who flock to 

see them in large numbers. 

At first I didn’t quite understand why 

so many people came to see them, that 

is until they played the 80s hit Tear 

Your Playhouse Down. Strange choice 

I thought, but all became clear when 

no other than Paul Young (yes, the 

first line of Band Aid’s Do They 

Know It’s Christmas 80s icon Paul 

Young) peaked out from under his 

Boss Of The Plains hat to rapturous 

hollers from the audience. He has 

been celebrating his passion for this 

type of music with Los Pacaminos 

since 1992. He is not centre stage 

in this band (it’s presented more as 

a collective) but he is a founding 

member. Have your salt and lime at 

the ready. 

Choice track: Los Pacaminos 

‘Don’t Make Me Wait Señorita’ 

The Secret Sisters 

Friday 30th March 8pm 

Cottiers, cottiers.com 

The Secret Sisters are an Americana 

singing and songwriting duo from 

Muscle Shoals, Alabama consisting 

of vocalists Laura and Lydia Rogers. 

They've worked with T Bone Burnet, 

Jack White and have toured with the 

likes of Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, 

Ray LaMontagne and Brandi Carlile 

which all seem like the perfect fit 

for their 50’s style country sound. 

The duo's music has been compared to 

The Everly Brothers and Delta blues 

and they've also had a song featured 

in the hugely successful film The 

Hunger Games. As with most sibling 

vocal acts their voices are a perfect 

match making them a real joy to 

listen to. 

Choice Track: The Secret Sisters 

'He's Fine'


by Greg Kane 

April 

Eric Bibb 

Tuesday 13th April 7pm 

Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk 

Eric Bibb is a 67 year old American 

acoustic blues singer/songwriter from 

New York who now lives in Sweden and 

makes his records in France. Speaking 

of which, his new record "Migration 

Blues" is release number 41 for him! Of 

it he states: "With this album I want to 

encourage us all to keep our minds and 

hearts wide open to the ongoing plight 

of refugees everywhere. As history 

shows, we all come from people who, at 

some time or another, had to move." 

Eric Bibb is a soulful and righteous 

man playing passionate righteous 

music. 

He's really at his best when he's 

playing live in front of you so I'm 

going to this one. 

Choice track: Eric Bibb 

'This Land is Your Land 

Lucy Dacus 

Friday 20th April 7pm 

The Hug & Pint, thehugandpint.com 

Lucy Dacus is a 22 year old indie 

starlet from Richmond Virginia, USA. 

She was raised by parents who were 

both musicians, one a piano teacher 

the other a Springsteen loving 

guitarist. They've definitely had an 

influence with her 2016 debut album 

No Burden exhibiting a use of melody, 

harmony and poise that belies her 

youth. To my ears there's some early 

Chrissy Hind and Jeff Buckley in her 

sound and attitude with a sprinkling 

of alt-country in there to boot. 

One critic described her as 'able to 

make strong music about her weakest 

moments ... Dacus is a master of her 

own destiny who likes to make you 

think she's as surprised as anyone else 

that she could possess such power.' 

I'll second that. 

Choice Track: Lucy Dacus 'Night Shift' 

Tears For Fears 

Monday 30th April 6.30pm 

SEC Armadillo, 

You need look no further than Tears 

For Fears for all that encapsulates 

pop music in the 80s. Roland Orzabal 

and Curt Smith, the two boys from 

Bath conquered the world with their 

infectious synth pop records selling 

over 30 million albums in the process. 

They successfully released a greatest 

hits album last year which included a 

couple of new songs which hopefully 

will spur them on to make another 

album of new music again soon. 

On the back of a celebrated tour of the 

US last year the band are out on their 

first UK tour in 18 years and if you 

want the full 80s experience make sure 

you get there early to catch support 

act Alison Moyet as she's received 

very favourable live reviews over the 

last year or so. 

Choice track: Tears For Fears 

'Head Over Heels'


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For You Mum… 

…because we love you. Thoughtful gift ideas for the woman who’s 

always there no matter what. From the small and interesting gifts 

to some lovely jewellery to wear – go on, spoil her!* 

*Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 11th March in 2018 – you’ve been warned, no excuses! 

Mother’s Day Mug 

£13.99, Cassiopeia 

Sloemotion Sloe Gin Truffles 

£14.99, Liquorice Tree 

Sterling Silver Designer Necklace 

£65, Spirito 

Silver Plated Pearl heart Bracelet 

£32.50, Nancy Smillie Shop 

Posh Eggs Book 

£12.99, Concept 65 

West End Suppliers 

Cassiopeia, 165 Hyndland Road 

0141 357 7374 cassiopeiaonline.co.uk 

Liquorice Tree, 431 Great Western Road 

0141 339 0648 liquoricetree.com 

Concept 65, 65 Hyndland Street 

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Nancy Smillie, 53 Cresswell Street 

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Spirito, 317-319 Crow Road 

0141 337 3307 spiritogifts.com



Writer’s Reveal 

meets Sally Magnusson 

WORDS LORAINE PATRICK 

An English translation of an ancient Icelandic memoir provides 

the inspiration for the debut novel from writer and broadcaster, 

Sally Magnusson. Loraine Patrick discovers how the popular news 

presenter unleashed her imagination to tell this remarkable tale of 

pirate raids, tragedy, and survival. 

‘I 

t was a real effort to leap off the tree and 

stop hanging onto the branches of truth 

or fact,’ says Sally Magnusson, colourfully 

describing the challenges she faced in writing 

her first novel in snatched bursts away from 

her very busy and very public life. 

Facts are Sally’s currency as an already 

successful non-fiction writer, and as a 

broadcaster and journalist – regularly 

bringing us the news on Reporting Scotland. 

‘It was intensity in bursts,’ she laughs, ‘rather 

than a thousand words a day in a steady 

and stately fashion! The idea of shutting 

yourself away for six weeks to write is an 

absolute dream because that liberation of the 

imagination was definitely not something that 

happened overnight for me,’ she says frankly. 

But lets rewind a bit here. I am meeting Sally 

to discuss her newly published book The 

Sealwoman’s Gift which has been described 

as a remarkable feat of the imagination. Sally 

has taken an incident in Icelandic history, 

little known outside that culture, and created 

an incredibly moving story of love, loss, 

resilience and redemption. 

In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of 

Iceland abducting some 400 of its people, 

including 250 from a tiny island off the 

mainland called the Westman Islands. They 

sailed to North Africa and were sold into 

slavery in Algiers. Although the raid itself is 

historically documented and looms large in 

the collective memory, little is historically 

known about what actually happened to the 

women and children. 

‘Growing up I was aware in a vague sort of 

way about the raids, in the same way that 

here in Scotland we are historically aware of 

Culloden and Bannockburn. I didn’t really 

have a true understanding of the period until 

I read an English translation of memoirs from 

a clergyman called Reverend Ólafur Egilsson. 

I was staggered by the story he told – his 

whole family were abducted and sold into 

slavery.’ 

It was the fleeting mentions of Ásta, the 

Reverend’s wife that really got to Sally. ‘I was 

so interested in everything that she went 

through yet there were only brief glimpses 

in the memoir of her. It was a period of time 

when women everywhere were largely silent. 

Not much was said about the fact she gave 

birth on a slave ship, she lost her 11-yearold 

son in the slave market (he was the first 

one to be picked by the local governor) and 

she was left with two little children. We don’t 

know historically what happened to her


but that’s where I tried to imagine what it 

was like as a woman and a mother in these 

circumstances.’ 

Mother of five grown up children, Sally’s 

family and Icelandic heritage are well known. 

Her late father Magnus was the long time 

presenter of Mastermind. He was also a 

successful translator of Icelandic sagas. 

‘I grew up being immersed in this amazing 

storytelling tradition. It was only as I got older 

I understood my father had been working on 

the greatest medieval literature in the world.’ 

Sally’s late mother Mamie – subject of her 

best selling book Where Memories Go which 

chronicled her battle with dementia, was also 

a journalist. Storytelling was part and parcel 

of the Magnusson household. 

A lot to live up to then when it came to putting 

pen to paper. ‘I had very high standards of 

what I wanted to achieve with this book,’ 

Sally reflects. ‘My degree was in English 

literature so not only did I have a very good 

idea of what was required of a novel I had 

huge expectations of what a novel had to 

be. I found it difficult to make it as good as I 

wanted and I went through umpteen drafts 

trying to wean myself away from checking the 

accuracy all the time.’ 

But Sally has certainly pulled it off with fellow 

authors and critics alike singing its praises. 

She is looking forward to promoting it at this 

years Aye Write Festival, a gathering she 

holds dear. ‘I think per head of population we 

have more book festivals in Scotland than 

anywhere else,’ she says ‘there is something 

very special about being in an auditorium 

with other people who share a love of 

Competition! 

We have two signed copies 

of The Sealwoman’s 

Gift to give away. Visit 

westendermagazine.com and 

click on competitions by the 

30th of April 2018. 

books. It’s a wonderful feeling being in an 

environment where you can enthuse about 

words with other people who enjoy writing. 

I am less comfortable about saying “look at 

me! Come and buy my book!” But that is now 

part of the business and I take it on the chin.’ 

She hopes readers get a flavour of two 

very different worlds, 17th century Iceland 

and the intensely contrasting experience 

of 17th century Algiers. ‘It must have been 

extraordinary for captive Icelanders to step 

off that slave ship and find themselves 

in a place so different to their homeland. 

The contrast in culture, climate, religion and 

social mores couldn’t be greater.’ 

Ultimately it is the human story that really 

sets this book apart. Ásta, the heroine is 

strong and feisty and Sally hopes readers like 

her. ‘It’s really a story about marriage,’ she 

concludes. ‘How do you tackle a relationship 

you have lost for many years? How do you 

deal with going back to a situation that made 

you happy once but now no longer does? 

How do you find yourself within that? These 

aren’t just questions for 17th century Iceland 

or Algiers but questions for all time.’ 

Aye Write Festival is on 15-25 March 

ayewrite.com 

Sally Magnusson is appearing at the 

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 18 March. 

The 

Sealwoman’s 

Gift 

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1 

BY BRIAN TOAL 

WESTENDER’s 

COVER TO COVER 

A book about Glasgow by a Tory politician from 

Edinburgh? It’s a bold venture, I’ll give you that. 

Michael Fry stood as a Tory politician in Maryhill in 

the not too distant past, and although he didn’t lose 

his deposit – no mean feat in itself – he was never 

going to set the heather alight. 

Glasgow – 

A History of 

The City 

by Michael Fry 

Nevertheless, he has recently 

been converted from unionism to 

independence, and this adds an 

interesting flavour to his latest 

book. Having already written about 

Edinburgh very successfully, he has 

now focused his razor-sharp pen and 

witty observations on what is, let’s 

face it, a far more interesting subject 

matter. 

Fry is a very knowledgeable and 

experienced journalist, having written 

for a range of newspapers, and 

this is brought to bear in what is a 

thoroughly engaging book. Fry has 

adopted an interesting approach 

in his treatment of this dear green 

place as the chapters are arranged 

thematically, where most historians 

would have taken a chronological 

approach. This is highly effective 

as names, events and places 

come around several times but in 

different contexts, which helps the 

reader to develop a much deeper 

understanding of how these players 

fit in to the bigger picture. 

As Glasgow was the second city 

in the British Empire, mainly due to 

her trade and industry, it will come 

as no surprise that these areas 

take up large portions of the book. 

However, Fry clearly explains the policies and politics which drove this 

trade and fuelled these industries, providing detailed backgrounds 

of the main movers and shakers and what motivated them. For most 

Glaswegians, or even for incomers like myself, many of these names will 

be familiar, albeit from statues in George Square or university buildings. 

Nevertheless, Fry’s thematic, layered approach really helps to bring 

these people to life and by the third or fourth time the reader comes 

across one of these names, their importance is firmly established. 

The last few chapters felt weaker. We get a quick romp through 

Glaswegian literature and art in a matter of pages – perhaps more 

fitting in a separate book entirely – and the preponderance of notes 

suggests most of the commentary has been borrowed. It would be 

too much to expect Fry to have read all the books he mentions or 

to have seen and pondered deeply the range of art covered in these 

chapters, but perhaps he could have allowed other voices to speak 

for him. Labour politicians take a lot of flak, unsurprisingly. And with 

one whole chapter on women, some of our beloved Westender readers 

may feel this does not do justice to what is after all the majority of the 

population of Glasgow. 

Still, it’s a really interesting book and well worth reading.


When Breath 

Becomes Air 

by Paul Kalanithi 

2 

This is not a brand-new book 

but it’s one which several friends 

have raved about, and having 

just finished it, I understand 

why. 

It’s a memoir begun when 

the author, once a brilliant 

neurosurgeon, is diagnosed with 

terminal lung cancer. He dies not 

long after completing the book 

and the afterword by his wife is 

touching and inspiring, just like 

the rest of the book. 

The first half of the book deals 

with the writer’s journey through 

university where he studied 

literature, which is why this book 

reads so well despite having been 

written by a doctor! 

He switched his focus to 

neuroscience and neurosurgery as 

he was fascinated by questions 

of life and death. The second half 

deals with his struggle to fight 

lung cancer and how this affects 

his relationship with his wife 

and with his colleagues as he is 

determined to operate until it 

becomes impossible. 

Knowing that the author died 

– we are told on the first page 

– may seem like a plot spoiler 

but it allows the reader to focus 

on what is important in Paul’s 

journey towards death and the 

important messages we learn 

from his struggle. 

It’s anything but a litany of 

symptoms and complications. 

The subtitle of the book is ‘What 

makes life worth living in the 

face of death?’ We will all have 

different answers to that very 

difficult question, but in the 

meantime, we should ‘suck out 

all the marrow of’ every day we 

have. 

It’s been a long wait – 17 years 

since the His Dark Materials 

trilogy – but at long last the 

prequel has arrived. 

Fans of Pullman’s His Dark 

Materials trilogy, fiction which, 

like most good fiction, transcends 

genre, age and taste, will relish 

the details of Lyra’s early life from 

her birth and mysterious origins 

to her arrival at Jordan College 

in Oxford. The heroes of this first 

instalment – Malcolm and Alice 

– are fascinating characters in 

their own right and are more than 

simply plot devices to deliver 

baby Lyra to safety. Pullman’s 

deftness of touch deals with 

puberty, complex emotions and 

the dangers of the adult world. 

The centre of all religious power 

is Geneva, the birthplace of 

Calvinism and predestination, 

and Pullman exposes the sinister 

machinations of the religious 

authorities and their seemingly 

endless tentacles and minions, 

but at the same time letting 

us see the good in the world in 

the form of ‘salt-of-the-earth’ 

characters who are very much 

rooted in the natural world – 

boatwrights, carpenters and 

innkeepers – all of whom are 

brave and make sacrifices for the 

greater good. 

Deep knowledge of the natural 

world is a precious commodity in 

this world and in Pullman’s too, 

where the gyptians’ prescience 

is crucial to the survival of our 

heroes. The book is awash with 

Biblical allegory, as well as nods 

to Lewis Carroll (hence Alice as 

one of the main characters) and 

many other allusions which an 

alert reader will spot. Welcome 

back Lyra. Thank you, Philip. 

La Belle Sauvage – 

The Book of Dust One 

by Philip Pullman 

3


Top Things To Do 

in the West End 

by Tracy Mukherjee 

With spring well and truly upon us, it appears 

that the West End has finally awoken from its 

winter slumber. That pesky snow and ice is 

thankfully a long, forgotten memory and the 

daffs and crocus are once again dotting our 

gardens and parks. So what can we look forward 

to in the way of events in March and April? 

A bountiful bouquet of springtime splendour, 

that’s what! 

Top for Spoiling Mum 

Sunday 11th March marks the annual Mother’s 

Day celebrations. There are plenty of amazing 

florists to send mum a floral tribute big enough 

to sink the Tall Ship, but why not go a little 

left field with your gift idea? Blythswood 

Hotel Cinema Club continue their regular 

movie selection combined with afternoon tea. 

For Mother’s Day there is a choice of either 

Mamma Mia or Miss Congeniality. Get the tissues 

ready for Meryl’s rendition of Slipping Through 

My Fingers. Blub. 

Blythswood Square 

Cinema Club Mother’s Day Screenings 

Sunday 11th March, 12.30pm and 2.30pm 

w:phcompany.com 

For an interesting gift that will keep mum happy, 

whilst at the same time ensuring free tailoring for 

you into the bargain, you might consider buying 

classes from the team at Sew Confident. From 

beginners sewing classes through to sewing 

underwear and quilting, mum can learn in a fun 

and social atmosphere. There is even the option 

to join the Sew Naturale class which combines 

machine doodling with life drawing! You might 

find yourself booking two spaces, so you too 

can find your way around a sewing machine, 

saving yourself the effort of putting trousers and 

curtains in to be professionally hemmed. 

Sew Confident Mercat House 19, 1103 

Argyle Street, Finnieston G3 8ND 

w:sewconfident.co.uk 

Top for Bookworms 

It’s back. Aye Write, Glasgow’s book festival 

returns in March with over 200 authors taking 

part in the annual event. Venues including 

The Mitchell Library and Glasgow University 

will be hosting events such as Alex Gray and 

Leigh Russell’s Crime Is A Serious Business'. 

With Scandi Noir fiction riding high in 

popularity at the minute, why not attend Simon 

Cox and Raguar Jonasson’s The Reykjavik 

Connection? All literary genres are covered 

in the festival: health and wellbeing, nature, 

poetry, biography to name but a few. And as 

well as hearing from the horse’s (or rather the 

author’s) mouth you might consider some of 

the participation events. There is an extensive 

list of lectures and seminars on topics such as 

knowing your character, what you need to know 

about dialogue, or merely giving writing a go! 

And continuing to encourage our younger 

readers and authors of the future, Wee 

Write returns with family days organised at 

the Mitchell: from Toddlers Tales, to Greek 

mythology, gaelic reading sessions, to a little 

Harry Potter hocus pocus. This is a festival that 

makes you proud to be a Glaswegian, promoting 

the art and beauty of the written word. 

Aye Write, 15th-25th March 

w:ayewrite.com 

Top for Easter Holiday Fun 

Easter just isn’t Easter without an Easter egg 

hunt. From 30th March until 2nd April The 

National Trust in conjunction with Cadbury 

are organising hunts for all budding chocolate 

detectives. In Glasgow, this will be at the 

Tenement House. Follow the clues, solve the 

puzzle and win a chocolaty treasure! 

Easter Egg Hunt, Tenement House, 

Buccleuch St, Glasgow, G3 6QN, 

Fri 30th Mar-Mon 2nd Apr, 1-5pm 

w:whatsonglasgow.co.uk


Top Things To Do 

in the West End 

For kids who may be unable to enjoy an egg or 

two this season, why not come along and support 

the annual Easter Egg Run on the 1st of April 

in aid of The Royal Hospital for Sick Children. 

Always an incredibly emotional and joyful event, 

over 1,000 bikers ride through the streets of 

the city in a colourful, noisy convoy in aid of the 

Hospital. The bikers make a donation or are 

sponsored for this incredibly worthy cause. 

Easter Egg Run 2018, Sun 1st Apr 

w:glasgowchildrenshospitalcharity.org 

Running weekends throughout the school 

holidays, the innovative Puppet Animation 

Festival is back for its 35th year. The UK’s 

biggest performing arts festival for children is 

taking place at venues across Scotland. In the 

west, the hub for the action is Maryhill Burgh 

Halls. Aimed at children 0-12 years, there are 

also sensory storytelling performances. Puppet 

making, stop motion animation, workshops, 

theatre and film; how much more fun can school 

holidays be? 

Puppet Animation Festival 

31st Mar-8th Apr, Maryhill Burgh Halls 

w:maryhillburghhalls.org.uk 

Top for Comedy 

It’s no surprise that the Glasgow Comedy 

Festival is the first comedy festival of the year, 

with trailblazing comic talents exuding an air of 

'watch and learn' to our Aussie/South Africa/ 

English, sorry Edinburgh comedy festival rivals. 

The 1st festival was in 2003, following the Stand 

Comedy Club approaching the council with a 

comedy festival proposal. 16 years later, the 

overwhelming success of the festival is clear 

to see: 40 venues, 400 shows over 18 days. 

As well as the big guns Ed Byrne, David Baddiel, 

Phil Jupitus plus Comic Relief Live, the festival 

prides itself on nurturing home grown talent. 

As such, venues such as Dram, the Hug and Pint 

and QMU have superb performances on offer, 

easily competing with talent in the larger venues. 

The programme is immense and too extensive 

to feature here, but with a huge presence in the 

west at e.g. Cottiers, Oran Mor, The Tall Ship, 

as well as obviously at the Stand, you won’t be 

stuck for options. If you fancy a go yourself, the 

festival has organised The School of Stand up, 

a pre-festival event with seminars on how to 

perfect the art. With so much to choose from, 

better get booking. Prepare to be entertained. 

Glasgow International Comedy Festival 

8th-25th March, various venues. 

w:glasgowcomedyfestival.com 

Top for Heavenly Music 

St. Bride’s Episcopal Church community in 

Hyndland are in the midst of restoring their 

beautiful church organ. Built by William Hill and 

Son in 1865, 150 years serving the congregation 

has taken its toll on this beautiful instrument. 

In 2017 a full restoration project commenced. 

On Sat 28th April, in aid of the restoration, a 

glorious organ recital is being held. St Brides 

are delighted to announce that Henry Fairs, 

international recitalist and associate head 

of organ studies at the Royal Birmingham 

Conservatoire will be performing. The recital will 

include music by Bach, Rachmaninoff and Elgar, 

to name but a few. Following the concert, you are 

invited to an informal wine reception. The event 

is free, however all donations to the restoration 

of the organ would be gratefully received. 

As such an integral part of St Bride’s Church, 

the organ is also a stand-alone item of historical 

importance. Once restored, what a wonderful 

resource for the wider community of Hyndland. 

St Bride’s Organ Recital featuring 

Henry Fairs, Saturday 28th April 

7.30pm, St Bride’s Episcopal 

Church, 69 Hyndland Road G12 9UX 

w:stbridesglasgow.wordpress.com/organ


The 

Graphic World 

of Neil Slorance 

WORDS NICOLA MAULE MAIN IMAGE GREGOR REID


Dungeon Fun Front Cover & 

‘Hope from the Dirt’ Acrylic on Canvas, 

2008 © Neil Slorance 

‘D 

‘ ungeon Fun is brilliant, it has really cool 

drawings.’ Words shared by my 

13-year-old son on handing him the 

comic book by the artist Neil Slorance and 

writer Colin Bell. I had returned from an 

interview with Slorance at his studio and with 

my son’s love of the medium I presumed I 

victoriously stumbled across a volume that he 

might not have heard of. It seems not. 

‘Yeah I know those comics. I met [Slorance] 

at Glasgow Comic Con last year,’ he adds. 

This was the annual event at the Royal 

Concert Hall – a gathering of comic creators, 

artists, writers and their fans, set to return 

once again in June of 2018. 

This artist/writer collaboration unfolds in 

an award-winning series of four, full colour 

books. It centres on a female protagonist, 

‘a story of a girl and her sword,’ it begins – 

and a warrior crusade for justice. That girl 

is Fun Mudlifter, raised by trolls in the moat 

of a castle who on gathering a sword that 

plummeted from the sky adventures beyond 

the moat for the first time. It’s a ‘coming of


age story,’ Slorance describes and is hugely 

funny or ‘witty,’ as my son adds. I should not 

really have been surprised that he had heard 

of Slorance, with over 11k Twitter followers 

and a Wikipedia page written about him he 

is not a small name in the world of comics, 

comic books and illustration. The Dungeon 

Fun stories in particular are hugely popular 

resonating with all ages and with international 

appeal. Jason Symmons, comic book buff 

and retailer describes them as, ‘just that, fun! 

Really accessible to anyone and can be read 

on a number of different levels.’ 

It is not the only time Bell and Slorance have 

collaborated together. In 2011 they created 

the webcomic Jonbot v’s Martha and in 2014 

they again came together on a strip for Titan 

Publications, Dr. Who: The Twelfth Doctor 

with Peter Capaldi drawn in true Slorance 

style, an accessible childlike ‘cutesy’ 

charm of oversized heads and large eyes – 

a seductive draw for all-ages of comic fan. 

Hope from the Dirt is an early work on canvas 

that shows an obvious liking for the simplistic 

strong lines and form of his characters, a 

vibrant palette of persuasive colour and a 

subject matter that emotes compassion in the 

viewer – a work that pre-dates his move to 

illustrating full time but echoes the sentiments 

of drawings to follow. 

I met with Slorance in his studio in the West 

End’s Hidden Lane – a wonderful light fills 

his space allowing for great conditions 

to draw and paint. ‘The Dungeon Fun 

pictures were drawn digitally but I use pen 

and watercolours for some of my works,’ 

he tells me. There is a series of self-published 

travelogue comic books in pen and ink 

– drawings of his travels to Barcelona, 

Bordeaux, Berlin and more recently The 

Canada Issue. These are, ‘done in the style 

of a journal comic and details all the people 

I met, places I saw and stuff I got up to. 

I realize this sounds like a comic version of 

someone showing you their boring holiday 

photos but without spoiling anything there’s a 

good bit more to it and I’ve put a lot of myself 

into it,’ he adds. 

Modern Slorance is another largely 

autobiographical publication, a collection 

of short stories about things that interest 

him, ‘there’s bits about video games, board 

Summer Pines, Glenelg © Moy Mackay 

Modern Slorance © Neil Slorance 

games, also some diary stuff about dating 

etc.,’ he explains. There are also some 

more political pieces, live drawing for the 

BBC at the last general election, for the 

Independence referendum with STV online 

and currently Slorance contributes a full 

colour newspaper strip every Saturday to The 

National newspaper. 

Symmons has his own view of Slorance, 

‘Interestingly a lot of his stuff is reminiscent 

of older comics in terms of format and 

presentation, one-page stuff like The 

Broons.’ I on the other hand cannot pretend 

to know a great deal about the history or 

medium of comics and comic books – until 

now, my experience has been limited to 

quickly scanning copies for content and age 

appropriateness before purchase – having 

a friend who can inform on these matters 

has been very helpful! Yet, I was and still am 

enthusiastic about my children reading them. 

Experience has showed me that it’s a way 

in for the reluctant reader – not a new idea, 

but still one which often finds resistance in 

mainstream education. 

Comics are essentially stories told through 

sequential images, initial introduction to this 

format is perhaps the picture book, ‘some 

kids need a little bridge between picture 

books and reading,’ Slorance adds and 

I would agree, they are a wonderful and 

pretty obvious progression. I would also


‘Han and Chewie’ Watercolour 

2015 © Neil Slorance 

argue that one of the added benefits is that 

it encourages the reader to slow down – 

the pictures provoke a requirement to digest 

the words and scene before moving on. Not 

only do we think in words and pictures but we 

live in such a visual, fast moving landscape, 

slowing the mind down and comic books as 

a way by their very nature that facilitates this 

happening, is perhaps hugely beneficial to 

humans of all ages. 

For me, I finished my first comic book 

by reading Volume One of Dungeon Fun. 

I may not have elevated any ‘coolness’ in 

the eyes of my son but my interest in his 

large box of comics has sparked a new type 

of conversation and one that may very well 

develop into a shared interest. 

Slorance shares his studio with other 

makers – RE:Craft and Lady Shinjuku, 

and is open to the public Thursday to 

Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment. 

A range of Prints and Cards by Slorance 

and other makers are for sale and you will 

often find Slorance working in the studio 

– according to one of his Instagram post’s 

he sometimes brings baking in too! 

Studio 1, Hidden Lane, 1103 Argyle Street, 

Finnieston G3 8ND 

neilslorance.com 

Twitter: @neilslorance 

Win! Cut & Colour 

with Luke 

Luke left the Big Smoke last November to 

head for Glorious Glasgow and 

Kennedy + Co Hairdressing couldn’t be 

happier… London’s loss and our gain. 

Trained – Vidal Sassoon Academy in London 

and further education with L’Oreal and Wella 

on all the latest trends. 

Favourite Service – Love meeting new 

clients and bringing out the best in individuals 

to boost their confidence through precision 

cutting and using the latest flattering colour 

techniques. 

Inspired By – Creative people, music and 

fashion. 

Favourite Product – Without doubt Olaplex 

– the patented technology prevents damage 

and relinks broken bonds providing real 

structural repair…what’s not to like? 

Top Tip – Trust me! I want the best for your 

hair as much as you do. I’m here to look 

after your hair and have the professional 

knowledge to achieve optimum results. 

WIN! A Bespoke Consultation, Cut and 

Colour at Kennedy + Co Hairdressing 

with Luke worth £120. Go to 

westendermagazine.com by the 

30th April 2018 to enter. 

Kennedy + Co Hairdressing 

436 Dumbarton Road, West End 

0141 339 1555 

Book online 24/7 @ kennedyhair.co.uk


Gray’s Deli keeps it local and Scottish 

Right Under Your Nose 

supporting West End food and drink artisans 

WORDS TRACY MUKHERJEE IMAGES GREGOR REID

Supermarket food shopping isn’t always 

top of our ‘to do’ list. As much as my 

regular visits to genuinely good 

supermarkets allow me to buy everything 

I need for the week, there are other little 

markets that I find genuinely inspiring. A walk 

around the West End ‘super markets’ delivers 

a variety of alternatives to our weekly visit 

to the bigger outlets. So were our West End 

street a virtual supermarket, how would it 

look? Trolley bag in tow, let’s shop! 

First Aisle – Fruit and Veg 

Roots & Fruits 

Always the first aisle we hit let’s head to 

the fruit and veg section, or Roots, Fruits 

and Flowers in our case. With two handy 

stores, on Great Western Road and Argyle 

Street, there is bound to be one near 

enough for your grocery shop. Following 

the huge success of the Kelvinbridge outlet, 

the Finnieston store opened in 2011. The 

company pride themselves on sourcing 

local, ‘environmentally conscious’ produce. 

Their fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered 

several times a week, so you know what you 

see hasn’t been sitting for weeks on end. 

To cap it off, Roots and Fruits’ flowers are 

something special and not just for marking 

major life events. The florists note that they 

are inspired by country gardens – such that 

their gorgeous flower arrangements look wild 

and natural but are the epitome of class too. 

Andersons 

The Queen Market Drive outlet has been 

serving the community with gorgeous fruit, 

veg and flowers since 1918. 100 years on and 

in the midst of refurbishment, it’s still the best 

wee greengrocers in Kelvinside. 

Next Up – Fish and Meat 

Wilson’s Catch of the Day 

A real find for quality produce is Wilson’s 

Catch of the Day. Established in 2015 in 

Finnieston, the produce here is as fresh as 

it comes, barring braving the waves in a 

dinghy. The brain child of chef, fishmonger 


Supermarket shopping. It’s part of our regular chores, 

with variety and accessibility to products from every 

part of the globe. But just sometimes it’s nice to 

consider the little guys, the alternative super markets 

right here on our West End streets. 

and proprietor Stuart Wilson, the team head 

out daily to coastal fish markets to select 

the freshest seafood available: lobster, crab, 

oysters, monkfish, salmon; even swordfish. 

The list is incredible. And yet, fish isn’t the 

only thing on the menu. Wilson’s also do a 

great free range selection of poultry from 

traceable farms and game from ethical 

estates. With knowledgeable staff on hand to 

advise on sauces and menu ideas, when they 

talk about one stop shops, they are talking 

about this SUPER market! 

Andrew Reid Butchers 

20 years in the Kelvinbridge shop, a West End 

institution with the best Italian sausages and 

steak burger around. 

The Delicious Deli Counter 

Gray’s Deli 

How do you possibly choose one deli in 

the West End – THE delicatessen capital 

of central Scotland? You simply can’t. 

To begin with, which kind of deli are we 

talking about? The Italian choice is vast, 

so it might be worth looking at a store that 

promotes Scottish produce. Gray’s Deli in 

Broomhill is a true campaigner for Scottish 

fayre. As well as a great selection of Baikhous 

artisan bread made in Renfrewshire, superb 

Glasgow based Ed’s Bees honeys, Crowdie 

cheese and of course sumptuous smoked 

salmon, this gorgeous little shop stocks 

the best produce in the world (well, it is 

Scottish!). 

George Mewes Cheese 

In terms of cheese, look no further than 

George Mewes on Byres Road. This 

cheesemonger stocks world class British 

and continental artisan cheeses. After 25 

years as a chef, Mewes found his great 

passion for cheese and stocks some major 

award winners. The staff are more than 

happy to guide you in which accompanying 

jams, truffles and honeys might match your 

originally selected mouth-watering cheese 

board.


A draft you want to catch at Vino Valentino 

Scherezade 

This lovely little market on Bank Street has 

simply stunning Middle Eastern cuisine: 

falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and baked 

aubergine…delicious. 

Globetrotting – World Food 

Solly’s African Village 

With ne’er a wonky trolley wheel in sight, 

isn’t this fun? Where do we begin in the 

wonderfully multicultural community that is 

Glasgow’s West End? Solly’s African Village 

of course. Established in 1992, the Great 

Western Road store has food from Kenya, 

South Africa, Nigeria, the list goes on. From 

Afro-Caribbean meats, fruits and groceries 

to an incredible array of spices, Solly’s also 

have exotic sea food – snapper, shark and 

octopus. And what does every village need? 

A hairdresser and gift shop, both on site. 

Lupe Pintos 

Slightly further down Great Western Road 

and we come to my favourite world foodcome-deli 

store, Lupe Pintos. Founders 

Doug Bell and Rhoda Robertson had spent 

a year long journey across America and 

Mexico immersing themselves in the cuisine 

before opening their Edinburgh store in 1991. 

Ten years later and the Glasgow branch 

opened, becoming a West End institution. 

The tiny shop stocks every possible hot 

sauce, chilli, refried bean, tortilla combination 

this side of Mexico City. With three 

cookbooks and as organisers of the annual 

Chillifest, the Pintos team are hot, hot, hot! 

KRK 

KRK in Woodlands stands out as the place to 

go for South East Asian ingredients. A store 

packed full of every spice, rice, flour and 

Indian breads, even my Indian mother-in-law 

loves this place. 

Here Comes Cake 

Kember & Jones 

Arriving at our bakery section, there is a 

definite front runner who supplies many 

of the other delis in the west. Kember and 

Jones use four simple basic ingredients for 

all their bread: flour, yeast, salt and water; 

no preservatives enzymes or other additives. 

From here ingredients can be added to make 

wholemeal, malted granary, rye and raisin as 

well as my favourite, sourdough. To kill two 

birds with one stone, the deli counter stocks 

champion chutneys and charcuterie for that 

oh-so-yummy sandwich when you get home.


Cottonrake Bakery 

This very popular little spot, opened in 2010, 

is regularly queued around the block. And 

no wonder: croissants, Portuguese custard 

tarts, brownies and lemon meringue pies. 

I don’t think I need to elaborate. Point made. 

It’s Wine O’Clock 

Vino Valentino 

Finally arriving at wines and spirits, the old 

trolley bag is straining under the weight of 

our West End goodies. Slightly hidden off the 

beaten track, take a trip to Vino Valentino. 

Just off Byres Road in Chancellor Street, 

you won’t regret taking the time to find it. 

Passionate champions of Italian vineyards, 

the team’s wines are personally sourced in 

Italy. Stocking bottles of wine, of course, but 

the real USP here is that many of their wines 

are draft, therefore you can sample before 

you buy. Leaving here you may need another 

shopping trolley. 

The Cave 

15 years in Kelvinbridge, 400 craft beers, 

unique liqueurs and top of the range spirits, 

The Cave has all bases covered. 

Shopping? Done (as Gordon Ramsay 

would say). 

Roots, Fruits & Flowers 451-457 Great 

Western Road & 1137 Argyle Street 

Andersons 92 Queen Margaret Drive 

Wilson’s Catch of the Day 

71 Houldsworth Street 

Andrew Reid Butchers 

401 Great Western Road 

Gray’s Deli 305 Crow Road 

George Mewes Cheese 106 Byres Road 

Scherezade 47 Bank Street 

Solly’s African Village 

381-383 Great Western Road 

Lupe Pintos 313 Great Western Road 

KRK 286 Woodlands Road 

Kember & Jones 134 Byres Road 

Cottonrake 497 Great Western Road 

Vino Valentino 6 Chancellor Street 

The Cave 421 Great Western Road 

Mother's Day at SPiRiTO 

317 - 319 Crow Road, G11 7BU 

0141 337 3307 

www.spiritogifts.com

32 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com 

Magazine Promotion 

RRI 

T 

by John Parker 

he first step to spring-cleaning 

your hair is to get a good trim from your 

hairdresser. A good trim will freshen 

up your locks and get rid of any split-ends, 

reducing the risk of hair breakage and making 

your hair feel and look instantly healthier. 

The next step is to try to stay away from 

heated styling tools to give your hair a break 

and avoid causing further damage. If you do 

need to use any heated styling tools, always 

use a heat protection spray and when using 

flat irons, make sure they are clean and 

any dirt or grime has been wiped off them 

prior to being used to stop bacteria being 

spread onto your hair. Cleaning your brushes 

regularly is also important to get rid of old 

hair and any residue from products that can 

make your hair greasy. 

To get your spring clean started book in for a 

trim with one of our stylists at Rainbow Room 

International Great Western Road and get 

your hair looking and feeling good in no time! 

follow – Rainbow Room GWR 

Rainbow Room International 

607 Great Western Road G12 8HX 

0141 337 3370 

rainbowroominternational.com 

WIN! Rainbow Room International 

are offering one lucky reader a hair 

makeover in their Great Western Rd 

salon. For your chance to win go to 

westendermagazine.com and click 

on competitions by the 30th Apr’18. 

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G12 9HT 

Tel: 0141 357 7374 

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Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 33 

Images I Gregor Reid 

new poke bowls at 

So who’s heard of the latest Poke 

Bowl food trend (pronounced POH-keh)? 

Ubiquitous in Hawaii as a nutritious 

lunch, starter, or light main course, it’s 

versatility is gaining attention around the 

globe. Wudon on Great Western Road are 

ahead of the curve in the West End and have 

launched their own range of poke bowl treats. 

WUDON 

on warm Japanese boiled rice. Or, Poke Tofu 

Mein: tofu, tomato, carrot, sweet corn and 

edamame with peanuts, flavoured with a 

peanut dressing on cold ramen noodles. 

Passionate about bringing fresh, nutritious 

Pan Asian dishes to the foodie West End, 

Wudon can’t wait for Westenders to try them. 

A poke bowl consists of sushi grade 

marinated fish, seafood, or tofu combined 

with vegetables and packed with either hot 

chilli or kimchi sauces or salty soy, tossed 

over warm rice. Really, it’s a satisfying bowl 

of deconstructed sushi. 

Take your pick from Wudon’s offering of Poke 

Salmon: raw salmon, avocado, crab stick, 

cucumber, and edamame mixed with kimchi 

sauce on warm Japanese boiled rice and 

topped with seaweed. Poke Prawn (above 

image): king prawns, seaweed, edamame, 

fresh chilli and coriander, served with a 

wedge of lime in sesame and soy vinigarette 

! 

Special Offer* 

20% off each Poke Bowl at 

Wudon till the end of April 

2018. Quote WESTENDER 

when ordering. 

*Ts&Cs apply. 

Wudon 


0141 357 3033 

wudon-noodlebar.co.uk 

#


@ 

The 

Lismore 

Reviewed by 

Emily Donoho 

In a corner of Partick where pubs come and 

go faster than Theresa May’s cabinet, the 

Lismore has withstood changing tastes and 

demographics since it opened 1996. It looks 

like it’s been there forever. The woodwork 

inside is oak in rich browns, with leather 

benches framed by old ropes from ships 

and tables made from the tops of whisky 

casks. The pub’s artwork looks to island life, 

abstract collections of materials from the 

Highlands and Islands: turf, bird eggs, fish, 

boats, fishing nets, while the stained glass on 

the windows was specially commissioned, 

depicting the Highland Clearances. 

The island of Lismore, from where the pub 

takes its name, was one of the last places to 

be cleared. 

You notice something Victorian about the 

Lismore – a step back in time to a place 

where pubs were for socialising, not eating a 

posh meal, watching television, or listening to 

music on a PA turned up to 11. 

There is music, but it’s live. The Lismore has 

hosted Irish and Scottish traditional music 

sessions for years, bringing in some of the 

best musicians in the city. The sessions run 

roughly three times per week – Monday, 

Tuesday, and Thursday (double check, the 

days can vary). On Sundays, they have bands 

playing a variety of genres, anything from jazz 

to folk to funk. 

The pub is unusual in that it has two bars, the 

front one where the sessions live, and up a 

couple steps, the back one. There’s even a 

small bar in the back, which is useful if you’re 

visiting on a packed night and don’t want 

to battle the hordes to get to the main bar. 

Image I Gregor Reid 

The back bar rarely gets deafening, so if 

you’re looking for a place for a quiet chat, you 

can find a nook or a cranny. 

The Lismore hasn’t quite jumped on the 

real ale bandwagon. They have one guest 

cask ale and Deuchars IPA on the handpumps. 

The bar staff when we were there 

didn’t know what ale they had on (it was 

Greenmantle Century), but the beer itself 

had been well-kept. Nonetheless, they keep 

an extensive range of beverages on tap, 

including Heverlee, Tennant’s, Caledonian 

Best, Punk IPA, two Drygate lagers, Estrella, 

and Magners for the cider drinkers. 

At its heart, though, it’s a whisky pub – 

not surprising from a bar so devoted to 

the Highlands and Islands – and it has a 

lot of whiskies. You can have the usual 

suspects, the ten-year MacAllans, Highland 

Parks, Laphraoigs, and so on, but for the 

adventurous (and financially solvent) whisky 

drinker, there are 18 year Dalmores, a 21-year 

Glengoyne, an 18 year Bowmore, and many 

more. 

The homage to Highland and Island history 

is inescapable for male patrons. The urinals 

are devoted to George Granville, Colonel 

Fell, and Patrick Sellar, all notorious for their 

brutal and callous role in the Clearances, with 

plaques suggesting men relieving themselves 

‘pay them the respect they deserve.’ 

It certainly invites a dialogue about history. 

The Lismore 

206 Dumbarton Road G11 6UN 

0141 576 0102 

facebook.com/LismoreBar


@ 

resh, local and seasonal produce is the 

cornerstone of Broomhill’s newest eatery 

– The Square Bar and Restaurant. 

spring 

F 

A favourite dish on their spring menu is 

proving to be the lamb shank, champ 

potatoes, and seared turnip with rosemary 

jus. Just the kind of slow-cooked comfort 

food Westenders need at this changeable 

time of year. And with select steaks coming 

from Byres Road’s award winning Rodgers 

Butchers, all 40 day dry aged cuts are 

proving popular with diners. 

THE SQUARE 

‘Provenance is very important to 

Westenders,’ says Square Bar owner, Luke 

Tracey. ‘West End foodies believe, like me, 

that Scotland’s produce is the best in the 

world and want to know our seafood, meat, 

and vegetables are as local as possible and 

dishes are created by our talented chefs with 

seasonality in mind.’ 

With Mothering Sunday on the way (11th 

March!) and a fantastic money off offer on 

your food bill, there may be no better time 

to book in early and treat someone special – 

there’s even free on-site parking. A West End 

nirvana indeed! 

Special Offer! Enjoy 20% off your 

food bill at The Square Bar & 

Restaurant from the 19th of February 

to the 30th April 2018*. Simply quote 

Westender when you phone to book, 

or when ordering. 

*Discount excludes any drinks bill. 

The Square Bar and Restaurant 

6-8 Norby Road, Broomhill G11 7BN 

0141 337 6988 

thesquareglasgow.com 

Images I Gregor Reid


gregorreidphotography.com 

PORTRAITS CORPORATE 

FASHION

@ 

The Cran 


Reviewed by 

Roberto Parrucci 

Reaching The Cran on a cold winter 

night, I’m struck by its laid back, 

comfortable atmosphere with wooden 

benches and old armchairs covered with 

blankets in tartan patterns. On the naked 

brick walls there’s a remarkable piece of 

wood hanging, one of those your dog would 

find upon an empty Scottish beach. Opposite 

the entrance, a series of framed artworks 

also serve to brighten the space. 

My eye is immediately caught by the counter, 

stocking various big pots of appealing food. 

A quick glance at the daily’s board and I opt 

for a haggis samosa (don’t be fooled, it’s 

vegan haggis we’re talking about here) and 

a vegan stovie (yes, it’s possible to recreate 

the meaty all-round texture, but cruelty-free). 

To wash all the food down I opt for the green 

machine, a smoothie with broccoli, celery, 

spinach, banana and pineapple. This should 

be enough to stave off any midday hunger 

pangs. 

Delving into the haggis samosa, served 

with a slightly spicy apple puree on the side 

that goes hand in hand with the balanced, 

generously stuffed vegan filling, I have the 

immediate impression this food hasn’t 

lingered long in the counter. It’s fresh, crusty 

and an extremely succulent starter. 

Sampling the vegan stovie, served with 

oaties on the side, this traditional Scottish 

recipe is revisited with loads of lentils, beans, 

mushrooms, potatoes and carrots. Halfway 

through I’m knocked down. The stovie is so 

creamy and filling that it immediately gives a 

sense of appeasement to my empty stomach. 

With this bonanza for foodies, I quickly feel 

satisfied having eaten my fill. 

Luckily, a few sips of the most refreshing 

of smoothies bring me back to normal and 

I discover some space for a sweet treat, a 

lavish chocolate caramel cake. 

The Cran aims to be a crossroad for crafted 

food, drinks, arts and work. The food at 

the counter is partly in-house made, partly 

provided by Face-plant Foods, a wellestablished 

plant-based kitchen, providing 

the best of stews, curries and soups. 

With desserts provided by an artisan 

Glasgow-based baker, The Cran makes it 

even easier for you via their Instagram stories 

for the latest updates on the menu. Artisan 

traders can also set-up a pop-up shop 

here, present their products at tastings and 

showcase their arts and crafts (from jewellery 

to vintage clothing, ceramics and plants). 

The Cran aims to serve as a community 

space, a venue for events and workshops. 

The philosophy of this wee pearl is to try 

and shop as local as possible. Have you 

ever met a cow in Glasgow? Well, next time 

you sink into the Cran’s creamy cappuccino, 

rest assured it’s a weegie cow’s milk you’re 

tasting. 

The Cran 

994 Argyle Street G3 8LU 

0141 237 3435 

thecran.co.uk 

Image I Gregor Reid


Guilty Pleasures from Westender’s American in Glasgow 

Nothing makes a person 

feel more loved than a 

homemade gift taking 

time and effort – even 

better if it tastes 

amazing! 

Image I Gregor Reid

y Liberty Vittert 


CREAMY 

BLUeBERRY CLOUD 

Is spring here yet? I wish I could say it was, but it 

is just as dreary outside as those miserable winter 

months. But as always, Liberty is here (or rather 

the sugar from the grocery store), to perk up those 

coffers. This isn’t your Mama’s meringue – this baby 

has a zest (pardon the pun) for life with a gorgeous 

zing of lime woven into creamy layers covering a 

puffy and chewy meringue laced with pistachios. 

Perfect for Mother’s Day, or just a rainy Monday. 

K 

Shopping List 

150g + 50g icing sugar 

10 egg whites 

½ tsp cream of tartar 

½ tsp sea salt 

80g pistachios 

300g blueberries 

300mL double cream 

2 limes 

1 tsp vanilla 

L 

Method 

1. Turn oven to 100 degrees Celsius 

and line a baking sheet with parchment 

paper. 

2. In a large mixing bowl (hopefully 

electric or skip the gym that day), whisk 

the egg whites until frothy. Add the 

cream of tartar. 

3. When the egg whites are soft peaks, 

add 75g of icing sugar, and when the egg 

whites are hard peaks, add the further 

75g of icing sugar and the salt. 

4. Scoop out the egg whites onto the 

parchment paper in 6 large circles using 

a spoon to create swirls. Sprinkle the 

chopped pistachios on top. 

5. Bake the meringues for 5 hours. Turn 

off the oven and allow to cool keeping 

the meringues in the oven. Trust me. 

6. Whip the double cream, juice of 1 

lime, and zest of 2 limes in a mixer, 

adding the 50g of icing sugar and 

vanilla. 

Top your meringue clouds with cream 

and blueberries. 

PAPYRUS 

SPECIAL 

OFFER 

20% 

off* 

bakeware 

& baking 

accessories 

Mar-Apr'18 

*Exclusive offer for 

WESTENDER readers 

at Papyrus, 

374 Byres Road


Many people in the 

West End dream of 

opening their own 

business – whether it’s 

a personal passion, or a desire to 

work for themselves that drives 

the move. Loraine Patrick speaks 

to three locals about what it 

takes to make it as a sole trader. 

There are lots of perks to working for 

yourself – just ask Alice Kirk, founder 

of Isabella’s Wardrobe on Crow Road in 

Broomhill. Alice set up on her own business 

10 years ago after working for a commercial 

arts seller. She chooses her own hours, 

enjoys increased freedom and lots of job 

satisfaction 

‘You have a great deal more flexibility’, Alice 

confirms. ‘This business is a very personal 

one – customers want to see me in the shop, 

so I close on a Sunday and Monday to make 

sure I can be here the rest of the time. Other 

benefits of working for yourself are that you 

are not answerable to anyone else. You make 

your own decisions. It’s great fun and it is 

very social – I now know lots of ladies in the 

West End.’ 

The shop started with Alice’s own love of 

labels and Isabella’s Wardrobe has become 

the West Ends go to spot for bagging a 

designer bargain. ‘I don’t source stock,’ says 

Alice, ‘customers come to me with pieces to 

sell. I am like a matching service and know 

my customer’s style and tastes. We are a 

consignment shop – I don’t pay for stock – 

when items sell the client gets paid. It’s a 

good business model.’ 

A few doors along is The Wee Kitchen Shop 

at 304 Crow Road. Run by cabinetmaker 

Greg Bowers, he believes when you work 

for yourself that it’s vital to find something 

you are passionate about. For Greg, after a 

long career in the building and preservation 

trade it was about bringing all his skills and 

creativity together. Greg picks up, ‘There 

was nothing worse than always having to 

be the bearer of bad news. When I worked 

in preservation I always had to apologise 

to clients – wet rot, dry rot, it was always 

expensive to fix. The kitchen is the heart of 

the home and brings together my furniture 

making, property development and 

restoration skills.’ 

Opening the shop was also a lifestyle choice 

– Greg wanted to be around to see his


B.Y.O.B 

(Be Your Own Boss) 

WORDS Loraine Patrick IMAGES Gregor Reid


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children grow up. ‘Not being a contractor and 

having to be at a building site from eight in 

the morning means I can have that time with 

my family. I can help out in the morning when 

my wife goes to work and I can spend time 

with my kids.’ 

There are downsides to being your own 

boss though and Greg is particularly hard 

on himself. ‘My mind is always connected – 

work never really stops. Evenings, weekends, 

and holidays – I never switch off. The main 

issue though is working on a Saturday. 

I live to spend time with my family so working 

weekends is not ideal.’ 

Owen Bisset, owner of gift and lifestyle 

store Concept 65 agrees it’s about finding 

a balance. Owen has no problem with 

shutting shop when he needs to. ‘It’s really 

important not let your business engulf your 

life. My customers know I have no problem 

booking holidays but I always make sure I 

combine work and play. I buy for the shop 

when I’m abroad and have a good network 

of contacts, particularly in Paris, so I always 

have something unique to offer my customers 

here in the West End. I don’t buy at UK trade 

shows anymore as there is too much overlap 

with other shops in the area.’ 

Concept 65 (formerly Owen Bisset Boutique) 

on Hyndland Street stocks an eclectic mix of 

homeware, gifts and jewellery. For Owen it 

was always the aim to be his own boss. ‘I can 

express my creativity freely with the shop. 

I worked for a similar company when I 

finished art school but always wanted the 

freedom to do my own thing as I have quite a 

quirky style.’ 

Owen is clear he wouldn’t let his business 

take over his life – and is a very relaxed boss 

to himself. ‘It’s a very weird conversation 

I have with myself,’ he laughs. ‘I probably 

do need to be harder on myself – I have no 

one to whip me into shape. Things like my 

timekeeping are not always great but my


customers know that. Actually my friends are 

harder on me than I am!’ 

Like Greg and Alice, Owen agrees you never 

fully switch off when you are a sole trader – 

his business is the first thing he thinks about 

when he wakes up and the last thing he thinks 

about before going to sleep. Six years into 

his business it’s been a steep learning curve 

but good fun. ‘I would recommend anyone 

thinking about becoming self employed just 

to go for it – but you must be prepared to 

work hard.’ 

Concept 65, the Wee Kitchen Shop and 

Isabella’s Wardrobe have all found their niche 

in the West End. But it has taken time. Alice 

says it took around eight years to develop her 

market and build up to the quality of stock 

she now has. ‘I knew what I wanted to sell but 

it took me a wee while to find the customer 

base. Nowadays I get lots of high value 

pieces and I have the market to sell them 

on. Authenticity has never been an issue, 

I am careful who I take stock from and there 

is always assistance out there in verifying 

pieces. Business is thriving in what is a 

competitive market and I just want to keep 

doing what I am doing.’ 

‘There is always going to be a place for 

bricks and mortar shops like these,’ Owen 

concludes. ‘People want to see and try 

before they buy. If I am still here in a year then 

I am doing something right!’ 

Isabella’s Wardrobe, 318 Crow Road 

The Wee Kitchen Shop, 304 Crow Road 

Concept 65, 65 Hyndland Street


Happy 20th Anniversary 

Independent Mortgage Store 

Paul McGowan loves life on the ever 

changing Byres Road – lucky, since 

he’s been at No.93 since he set up the 

Independent Mortgage Store 20 years ago! 

‘We opened on the 28th April 1998,’ says 

Paul. ‘From the moment we opened the 

doors we have been busy. Laura Carson, 

my office manager, has worked with me the 

whole time which is very rare in this industry.’ 

Gerry Hughes joined early in 2017 as a Senior 

Mortgage and Protection Broker – bringing 

35 years of industry expertise with him. 

company small and strong with a great bond 

to our loyal clientele.’ 

Mortgage interest rates have of course 

peaked and troughed over those years. On 

the 2nd November 2017 the Bank of England 

raised the base rate from 0.25% to 0.5% - the 

first rate rise in over a decade. It is likely to 

rise twice more over the next three years, 

according to Bank of England governor Mark 

Carney. Paul’s team are currently ensuring 

that their existing clients are on the best and 

lowest rate possible to keep their costs down. 

Paul adds, ‘We are literally a small family 

unit that has bonded together. The benefit 

to our clients is that they have had the same 

team looking after them over the decades. In 

many cases when we meet clients to review 

their mortgage it’s like meeting up with an 

old friend and catching up with their news. 

It’s the overriding benefit to keeping the 

WIN! Independent Mortgage Store, 

in conjunction with Two Fat Ladies at 

The Buttery, are offering one reader a 

three course meal with a bottle of house 

wine, plus a welcoming glass of fizz, for 

four people*. To enter simply ‘like’ their 

Facebook page and state what anniversary 

they are celebrating by 31st May ‘18. *Ts&Cs 

apply. 

Are you now one of the estimated four million 

people still languishing on the higher variable 

rate? See how much you could potentially 

save, call the Independent Mortgage Store. 

Independent Mortgage Store 

93 Byres Road G11 5HW 

0141 337 3393 

independent-mortgage-store.co.uk



Accountancy 

Matters 

by Bruce Wilson & Simon Murrison 

Are you missing out on a 

company tax cash rebate? 

You could have tax relief hidden in your 

company. Since 2000, HMRC’s 

Research & Development (R&D) Tax 

Credit legislation has been in place but many 

companies are still missing out. Perhaps the 

title R&D is misleading. Forget ‘white coat’ 

syndrome it’s not all about laboratories. 

In fact the criteria can apply to almost any 

SME business. 

How is the R&D Tax Credit calculated? 

For an SME sector an enhanced deduction of 

130% plus 100% of original cost giving 230% 

deduction from profits. 

How can I find out if I qualify? ‘Take My 

Free Audit’ by calling Murrison & Wilson 

today to discover the tax relief hidden in 

your company. 

What businesses meet R&D Tax Credit 

criteria? A business that has gone through 

growth, transformation or change should 

consider applying. 

Demonstrate you’ve taken a commercial risk, 

with a level of appreciable improvement or 

scientific improvement on internal and client 

based projects and you can apply. 

For a free consultation, plus fixed and 

competitive fees, get in touch now on 

0141 290 0262, email info@muwca. 

co.uk, or visit muwca.co.uk for our 

free tax guides. 

An example is a company enhancing a 

factory floor process that directly improved 

business, it ticks the R&D box. 

The R&D Tax Credit is only available to SME 

companies. By definition a company with 

under 500 employees, turnover under €100M 

and assets of under €86M. 

Even if a company is making a loss you can 

still apply. The enhanced deduction can be 

surrendered to HMRC for tax back. This 

could be a welcome boost to your business. 

Murrison & Wilson Chartered Accountants 

10 Newton Terrace G3 7PJ 

0141 290 0262 

info@muwca.co.uk 

muwca.co.uk

Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 47 

Legal Matters 

Wheels of Fortune 

Words from Donald Reid, chairman at Mitchells Roberton: 

The narrow streets and heavy traffic prevalent in the West End make 

the advice below from my colleague very apt. Cycling is definitely a 

dangerous pursuit. I prefer jaywalking myself. 

Cycling is great. Great exercise. 

Great for the environment. Great fun 

for all ages. The UK excels at a 

professional level. Why are cyclists not 

universally adored as saviours of the world 

and applauded daily by other road users? 

Probably because – Newsflash – bicycles are 

traffic. And lots of cyclists pretend otherwise. 

Too many cyclists ignore basic rules 

like having operational lights. Too many 

ignore red lights and/or choose to cycle 

on pavements (‘shared use’ pavements 

excepted). 

There is no question that cyclists are 

vulnerable road users. In a collision with 

a vehicle, they will come off second best. 

A car driver’s insurance should provide 

cover if they injure a cyclist or damage their 

property. But no law says cyclists must have 

insurance. So what happens when the cyclist 

causes an accident? 

No doubt, leisure / weekend cyclists consider 

the risk small enough to manage. Perhaps 

some think their car insurance will cover them 

(it doesn’t). But what about all the commuting 

cyclists? Typical cycling insurance annual 

premiums are £30. Basic membership of 

cycling bodies often includes third party 

insurance for about the same price. 

The message to cyclists is clear. Take out 

insurance. Don’t lose your (lycra) shirt 

for £30. 

If Paul Neilly can help 

please contact him on 

0141 552 3422, or email 

pdn@mitchells-roberton. 

co.uk. 

An uninsured cyclist with no assets or income 

will not be worth suing. The Motor Insurers 

Bureau offers no indemnity for uninsured 

cyclists. But the injured driver or pedestrian 

might have to pay a solicitor to find out the 

two-wheeled miscreant is made of straw. 

Alternatively, if a cyclist does have 

recoverable assets or income, they could 

lose their home or be made bankrupt if they 

cannot settle the injured party’s losses. 

Insured cyclists are probably in the minority. 

Mitchells Roberton Solicitors 

& Estate Agents 

George House 

36 North Hanover Street G1 2AD 

0141 552 3422 

www.mitchells-roberton.co.uk


Empowerment 

In the wake of the #MeToo campaign, 

the idea that women should support and 

rally behind each other has been dominating 

mainstream conversation. But while women 

are finding their voices and speaking out 

about traumatic experiences for – in many 

cases – the first time, others are focusing on 

how to take that idea of empowerment and 

turn it into a tool to serve women throughout 

their lives. That’s where MsMissMrs, a Firhillbased 

social enterprise steps in. 

‘There’s not a lot we can do to control how 

other people behave, but we can do a lot 

to manage ourselves,’ says operations 

manager Louise McAllister. MsMissMrs 

– which launched in 2013 before moving 

…and superhero pants 

WORDS Hannah Westwater MAIN IMAGE Gregor Reid 

into its current hub last year – runs selfempowerment 

programmes for women who 

have been through trauma. The ASDANaccredited 

‘Get SET’ (Self-Empowerment 

Tools), written by organisation founder Sylvia 

Douglas, consist of one workshop a week 

over eight weeks. Over 200 women have 

completed the programme so far. 

‘The idea behind MsMissMrs is about 

building resilience so that we’re able to 

navigate our way through life’s obstacles,’ 

Louise explains. ‘We want to create a 

community of women coming together 

and supporting each other. In this day 

and age we’re quite isolated from each 

other, whereas we used to have these big


communities – we’d watch our mother or 

grandmother or great-grandmother, we’d 

see how they managed their lives and their 

relationships. Nowadays, women don’t have 

that experience. So we wanted to create 

a hub bringing women together to share 

experiences.’ 

The workshops aim to challenge the ‘negative 

voices in our heads that tell us we’re not good 

enough’. Women are invited to participate 

in guided discussions about self-esteem, 

setting boundaries, self-awareness and 

cultivating healthy relationships – life skills 

which can be forgotten through hard times or 

which mightn’t have been taught to us at all. 

With a focus on self-care, Sylvia and Louise 

are keen to emphasise that despite its 

new buzzword status, they mean it in the 

most practical sense of the term. ‘A lot of 

people think it’s putting moisturiser on, but 

it goes a lot deeper than that. Self-care is 

not a reward,’ Sylvia says. ‘It’s you giving 

yourself permission to say, “I am responsible 

for taking care of myself”. Your GP 

appointments, your smear tests, your dental 

check-ups, all of that. ‘It’s about mental 

health, physical health and social wellbeing.’ 

Sylvia, who grew up in care units, was 

inspired by her own experiences to 

establish the social enterprise. Now also 

training other organisations to deliver the 

programme she designed, she says it was 

only following her own recovery that she 

realised the importance of prioritising ones 

own wellbeing. She adds, ‘You get to a point 

where you’ve been through so much in your 

life that you don’t tend to believe you deserve 

good things. It’s almost like dimming your 

own light – society doesn’t benefit, your 

family doesn’t benefit, and most importantly 

you don’t benefit. I thought it would be really 

great to have a women-only space where you 

could look at the fundamentals of rebuilding 

yourself.’ 

launching new four-hour one-off workshops, 

aiming to cater for women who are unable 

to commit to the eight weeks of workshops 

offered on the programme. 

‘Most of the women who do our courses have 

been through trauma, but I actually think 

most women have. We’ve all got… stuff,’ says 

Louise when considering the new intake of 

women for these shorter workshops. ‘I’m 

so glad women are talking but we need to 

ensure we have the tools to navigate these 

issues in the community on a daily basis.’ 

There is no referral system as such, she says, 

but women hear about MsMissMrs through 

local partners like GPs and other groups who 

are prominent in women’s recovery. 

As well as supporting women, the social 

enterprise does preventative work with girls. 

Having developed a 72-page workbook, 

they encourage 11 to 13-year-old girls to 

think about difficult communication, setting 

boundaries, self-esteem, body image and 

stress – and discuss it with their peers. 

They’ve been working with Knightswood 

Secondary School and have received an 

enthusiastic response. ‘We talk to young girls 

and they’re so tired already,’ says Sylvia. ‘You 

can’t underestimate the impact social media 

and those daily comparisons have. But really, 

I don’t think there’s an age limit on the book. 

These issues follow you.’ 

Moving forward, MsMissMrs want to make 

their self-awareness programmes as 

accessible as possible to any women who 

might benefit from their services, as well as 

reaching more girls with their workbook. Until 

then, it’s clear that the hub will stay full to the 

brim with support, laughs, empowerment – 

and pants. 

msmissmrs.co.uk 

MsMissMrs is largely funded by the sale 

of their signature ‘empowerment pants’ – 

ethically-manufactured underwear designed 

with the idea of women-as-their-ownsuperheroes 

in mind. Over 3,000 pairs have 

sold to date. The revenue generated from 

these is partly why the organisation is now


Health Matters 

GP Dr. Pamela Leggate, of Glasgow West Medical Practice, 

discusses concerns around Autism and Asperger’s 

Syndrome. Find how to access information, courses and 

the help available. 

Autism is a complex lifelong 

developmental condition that can 

cause a range of problems 

with communication, behaviour and 

understanding. Around 70% of people with 

Autism have a coexisting learning difficulty. 

It is more common than you might think with 

around 1 in 100 children having some degree 

of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is four 

times more common in boys than girls. 

So what might cause concern that a child 

might be autistic? Parents will sometimes 

notice something not quite right from as early 

as 12 months old, but it is usually around the 

age of two years old that it becomes more 

obvious. Affected children may have delayed 

speech and will not compensate by gesturing 

or pointing. They may not look you in the eye 

and may prefer to play alone rather than with 

other children. They might find pretend play 

difficult. There may be repetitive behaviours 

or speech. Autistic children can become very 

distressed if their routine changes. 

If you are concerned, you can find a 

screening questionnaire at M_CHAT.org 

(modified checklist for autism in toddlers). 

Screening tests are not diagnostic but can 

alert you that there might be a problem so 

that you can ask your health visitor or GP 

about a formal assessment. Depending on 

the severity of the condition some children 

may not be diagnosed until they start 

school or later. Children with Asperger’s 

syndrome (a milder form of ASD) may have 

normal intelligence, but just be a bit socially 

awkward. Some people reach adulthood 

before they realise they are ‘different’. 

So what causes Autism? The straight answer 

is that we don’t really know. The condition 

often runs in families so there may well be 

a genetic cause. I’ve had a few patients 

(mainly fathers I have to say) who have 

children diagnosed with autism who then 

think maybe that would actually explain a lot 

about the problems they have had throughout 

life! In Glasgow we do have an adult autism


assessment clinic but predictably, there are 

long waiting lists for the service. 

A few years ago there was a panic that 

vaccines might cause autism. This has 

since been proved not to be the case and 

in fact the doctor who was responsible for 

the research has since been struck off for 

falsifying results. The most recent theory 

is that autistic children’s brains develop 

differently with a surplus of synapses (extra 

connections in the brain). You would think 

that a higher number of connections would 

be a good thing but it seems to lead to 

miscommunication between brain cells and 

difficulties with processing. It is likely that 

there is no single cause for autism but a 

mixture of factors. 

Anyway, enough of the science…how can we 

help children with autism? Having recognised 

the condition, there is a lot that can be done 

to help. Special educational support can 

go a long way to improve communication, 

language and social skills. This might involve 

a multidisciplinary team with speech and 

language therapists, occupational therapists 

and educational psychologists. Behavioural 

issues can be improved in the same way 

as other children with positive parenting 

techniques. Ask your health visitor about the 

Triple P programme available for all parents, 

not just parents of autistic children. This aims 

to encourage by recognising and praising 

good behaviour. You can find out more 

or even access the programme online at 

triplep-parenting.uk.net. 

Occasionally medication is used for things 

like anxiety, depression, poor sleep or 

obsessive compulsive disorders which can 

affect people with autism. There is no cure 

and autistic children will grow into autistic 

adults. The earlier we can recognise the 

condition and put supports in place, the 

better the outcomes. Some adults with 

Asperger’s syndrome will be able to live 

independently, work and lead relatively 

normal lives while others will require support 

from parents or carers in the long term. 

Finally, there is a school of thought that 

suggests Asperger’s syndrome is not an 

illness but a variant of normal. People without 

Asperger’s are referred to as ‘neurotypicals’. 

Adults on the autistic spectrum can have 

lots of positive qualities and can be highly 

intelligent. Mozart and Einstein are said 

to have been autistic. Susan Boyle has 

confirmed that she has Asperger’s syndrome. 

Dan Aykroyd and Tim Burton are also on the 

autistic spectrum. So don’t despair. We all 

have potential for greatness in our own way.



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as seen in


Endmum’s 

West 

notebook 

by Michele Gordon thelanguagehub.co.uk 

Idon’t know about you but I am really looking 

forward to spring this year. After all the bad 

weather we have had in recent months I 

think we finally all deserve a bit of sunshine. 

I do like spring for many reasons: the days 

become longer and you can actually leave 

the house and return in daylight, the air 

smells somewhat fresher and it is lovely to 

see nature blossoming everywhere. It also 

makes people more cheerful in general and 

less stressed and grumpy. What is not to 

like? It is of course also the time when many 

of us celebrate Easter although you could 

be mislead to believe that Easter actually 

starts on the 27th of December as advertising 

campaigns and the retail sector in general try 

to get us into the mood earlier…successfully? 

I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong, I do like a 

chocolate Easter egg or two, but when I am 

still digesting chocolate Santas I do need 

a break! 

This year, Easter marks the beginning of 

the spring school holidays which means 

children get an extra day with Good Friday 

on the 30th of March being a holiday. 

For many the school holidays are an 

opportunity to head off on a quick holiday 

either abroad or on a holiday closer to home. 

If you chose not to do either you can still 

find sufficient entertainment to keep the kids 

entertained. 

There are quite a few activities on over the 

holidays. I very much like the sound of the 

events over the first holiday week at Maryhill 

Burgh Halls as part of the Puppet Animation 

Festival (puppetanimationfestival.org). 

Between the 24th March and 14th April there 

will be various events in Scotland for children 

up to the age of 12 years, including puppet 

making workshops, or animated films in 

English and Gaelic. 

If you are more in search of outdoor activities 

you could check out the RSPB Scotland 

sessions as part of the Kelvingrove Art 

Gaellery and Museum timetable. These 

activities run on Saturdays and Sundays 

from 1-4pm and only ask for a donation of £1 

toward the costs (whatsonglasgow.co.uk). 

Children learn about local nature and animals 

living in Kelvingrove Park. 

Should you be heading toward the Botanic 

Gardens for a stroll make sure to stop at 

the ‘Books at the Botanics’ book fair in the 

Hopkirk building It will run throughout the 

Easter weekend with lots of bargains to be 

had for any book lover. 

If your children are more into sport, then look 

up some of the sports clubs like Broomhill 

Sports Club (broomhillsportsclub.org.uk). 

Sports camps often use schools to distribute 

their holiday activity flyers, so look out for 

your child’s school bag at the end of March to 

see what’s on. 

Many museums like the Riverside Museum 

or the Tall Ship also put on holiday activities 

for children (thetallship.com). And if none of 

these above activities take your fancy or you 

have tried all of them before the holidays are 

over, you can always come to The Language 

Hub. This year, we will be running weekday 

activities from the 3rd to the 13th of April 

for children and adults alike. Not all of them 

involve language learning so make sure to 

check out our website for more details. 

This leaves me to wish you all ‘Frohe Ostern’ 

and many happy egg hunts. I hope we will all 

enjoy some lovely warm spring weather and a 

relaxing break.


Homes & Interiors 

by Susan 

Robertson 

© Hoos 

Fashions change with moods and seasons, 

Susan Robertson explores one of the key 

interiors trends for 2018 and how we can 

take inspiration from this into our West End 

homes. 

Natural 

Accents 

As global communication raises awareness of the world 

around us, we’ve seen an ever-growing movement 

towards sustainable products, consideration about our 

environment and the products we choose to surround 

ourselves by have obvious influences in trends across 

fashion and interiors.


© Hoos 

Some of the key interiors trends for this year can be 

grouped under the theme of touching nature. This is 

particularly in relation to materials. Perhaps linked 

to a desire to connect with nature, and a desire to feel 

more connected with the impact and value of our 

decisions. 

This manifests itself this year in the move towards 

carefully chosen tactile products and materials. This 

is not to say we’ve yet reached the stage where things 

are all entirely biodegradable or plant-based in their 

production of course, but the trend is a nod towards 

paring back to the bare bones of our surroundings and 

respecting and celebrating a raw connection with our 

environment in terms of how things touch and feel. 

So, we’re seeing more use of marble and stone in 

different colours and formats. Think mortar and 

pestles and heavy marble tables. Rather than the 

restrictions we’ve had previously, there are now more 

colours being used in stone than just the traditional 

milky whites and you can see deep, dark greens and 

black onyx, or soft pale mineral stones in accessories 

and furniture. These heavy, solid materials are multilayered 

and feel rich, luxurious and real. 

Pair these heavy stones with raw concrete – dark 

textured grey concretes are wonderful floorings. 

Or we’re also seeing a mixture of takes on this from 

soft, smoothed off pale grey or white concrete or 

chunky, textured bubbly raw effects coming through 

in bold accessories like vases, candles and bowls. 

This almost has a natural industrial feel to it all, but 

it’s much softer than that. Add to the heavy stones and 

concretes, soft natural wooden accessories and it’s 

a really lovely theme. Either use the very palest of 

wooden accessories, hugely smoothed off to bring a 

real softness to a room, or go more rustic with dark, 

chunky wooden bowls and occasional furniture to 

contrast with dark rough concrete and rich smooth 

marble. 

And these all understandably work well with colour 

palettes from nature. Crisp whites and soft greys set 

this off beautifully on walls and fabrics. Layer up 

fabrics and textures to add different levels of softness 

and stay neutral but warm in the tones you pick. Warm 

pale chocolatey tones, deep olive greens or pale musty 

beige work well on multi-surface areas. Highlighting 

with accents of vibrant rusty orange work well for 

me too in this. But stay away from the feature walls 

and bring these touches into unusual places in dark 

corners, painted furniture or printed floor cushions 

or curtains. 

Don’t forget to pay attention to all the senses when 

creating a room and an ambience. Lighting should 

be soft but clear. Pooling light in different areas 

rather than one central position. And remember the 

dual benefit of some lovely scented candles. Shearer 

Candles on Byres Road has some excellent ranges 

for this theme. Go for their natural wax candles for 

lovely fruity or herby fragrances, or they also have jar 

candles in varying sizes and fragrances. These have a 

nice matte glass look to them which works really well



against the natural woods and stones of the themes. 

We’re spoilt for choice in the West End to add that 

elegant fragrance to your room. 

Think about the art you pick for your walls. Keep it 

minimal but be really creative. Touches of fresh green 

plants look fantastic. Use natural wooden shelves 

staggered across white walls, and dot them with 

bright green plants in chunky grey pots, allowing the 

leaves to drape and link across from shelf to shelf. 

This creates a really natural feature to pull everything 

together. Huge aged mirrors look wonderful with 

this, have a look around salvage and architectural 

suppliers for some of these, or for really battered old 

picture frames that you can put up on a white wall 

with nothing in it. Finish it all off with bold flourish of 

colourful fresh flowers as a further nod to nature and 

bringing the outside in. 

Hoos 715 Great Western Road hoosglasgow.co.uk 

07788 480 421 

Shearer Candles 388 Byres Road 0141 357 1707 

shearer-candles.com




The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, Anniesland, Glasgow, G13 2UP 

0141 950 1333 | www.thestoreinteriors.co.uk 

Email: sales@thestoreinteriors.co.uk 

TheStore - HIS - Emma.indd 2 07/12/2017 09:48 

Jun/Jul 2016 

Aug/Sep 2016 

Free 


Free 


ADVERTISE WITH US 

The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, Anniesland, Glasgow, G13 2UP 

0141 950 1333 | www.thestoreinteriors.co.uk 

// Glasgow’s best FREE bi-monthly mag 

Email: sales@thestoreinteriors.co.uk 

// Great editorial features: fashion, dining out, 

health & beauty, what’s on, local authors 

& artists, interiors & more 

// Massive potential business audience 

// 12,000 copies per edition 

For more info or to advertise 

email: suzanne@westendermagazine.com 

for a media flyer, or call: 07905 897238 

westendermagazine.com 

TheStore - HIS - Emma.indd 2 07/12/2017 09:48


Reseal Service | Professional Tile Installation | Waterproof Bathrooms 

The no.1 Tile Installation and Restoration 

Specialist in Central Scotland 

We are a fully insured, reliable family run business with over 

40 years combined experience. We use the best and most up to date 

products and materials and pride ourselves on our attention to detail 

and excellent customer reviews. 

BEFORE AFTER BEFORE AFTER 

Our Reseal Service can restore your tiles by carefully 

removing all of your existing grout and sealant using 

non-abrasive chemicals and high precision diamond 

technology. Specialist chemicals are used to wash 

your tiles to remove soap scum, body fat, mould and 

mildew. Antimicrobial grouts and sealants are then 

professionally applied 

Our Reseal service includes; 

// Sealant Applications 

// Bonded Bath & Shower Seals 

// Chemical Sealants 

// Re-grouting 

// Two-part Sealants 

// Waterproof Tanking Systems 

FROM ONLY 

£150 

SUPPLIED 

& FITTED 

Bonded Bath and Shower 

Seals – Our unique and 

most popular product. 

T / 0141 611 9534 M / 0781 782 8681 

E / info@resealscotland.co.uk W / www.resealscotland.co.uk


Bold as Brass 

One of the latest looks for 2018 is the strong elegant 

touch of warm coloured metal. Brassy, coppery tones 

add a touch of glamour to any room. Simple, neutral 

tones are brought to life with a touch of brass, and 

there’s a wealth of options in the West End. 


LSA Metallic Tealight Holder, 

£20, Spirito 

Matt Brass Glove Wall Lamp, 

£108, 

Annie Mo's 

Wall Clock, 

£139, 

The Store Interiors 

Brass Sprinkle Spoon, 

£14, Hoos 

Copper Heart Bottle Stopper, 

£12, Spirito 

Annie Mo's, 212 Great Western Road, 0141 331 0333, anniemos.com 

Hoos, 715 Great Western Road, 07788 480421, hoosglasgow.co.uk 

Spirito, 317-319 Crow Road, 0141 337 3307, spiritogifts.com 

The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, 0141 950 1333, thestoreinteriors.co.uk




The days of the functional flat pack are 

behind us. How we arrange our daily 

lives and store our precious memories 

doesn’t need to be a purely practical 

process, it can also be an aesthetic 

enjoyment. Susan Robertson picks up 

inspiration from around the West End. 

Storage 

Statements 

by Susan Robertson 

Keep an eye out for 

beautiful solutions the 

next time you mosey 

around the West End! 

This is a time where we have accumulated over 

the last few dark months, perhaps there are still 

a few extra pounds around the waist, but in this 

fortunate society we live in, there will likely be some 

extra toys kicking around, some extra kitchenware 

bought in haste for festive guests, and a lot of gifts 

received needing to find its place in our home. 

It’s also a time of taking stock, clearing out, planning 

and thinking forward to the upcoming year – the 

time of year we tend to pause to give a thought to 

organising our lives, and our homes. So, as we pick 

and choose what items to keep in our homes, it’s 

useful to think of how and where to store them. 

The storage question can be part of the decision 

process too. If there are things that will never see the 

light of day because they’ll be stashed at the back of a 

cupboard for years, perhaps it’s worth rehoming them 

elsewhere.


The Rug Company, Wizlet, 

Farrow and Ball 


0141 337 7043 

farrow-ball.com 

— 

Umbrella Stand, 

Nancy Smillie 

53 Cresswell Street 

0141 334 4240 

nancysmillieshop.com 

— 

Wine Holder, 

Nancy Smillie 

53 Cresswell Street 

0141 334 4240 

nancysmillieshop.com 

— 

Four Drawer Blue Cabinet, 

The Store Interiors 

26 Munro Place 

0141 950 1333 

thestoreinteriors.co.uk 

Earning yourself a few extra bob via 

ebay can take the edge of a clear-out, or 

adding stock to one of the many great 

charity shops along Dumbarton or Byres 

Road will always add value for someone. 

Think big first. Depending on the 

space you have in your home, make the 

boldest statement you can make with 

furniture. Glasgow’s tenements of all 

sizes are great for furnishing as the high 

ceilings and large windows create a 

sense of space and great opportunity for 

using big furniture pieces. But keep the 

number of items as few as possible but 

as beautiful, bold and functional as you 

can get to create a wow factor that also 

has a purpose. 

Tables often waste space, unless in 

a dining room or kitchen where it 

provides only that function, avoid 

furniture for it’s surface use alone. 

Go for a big storage unit or a chest of 

drawers, or a large cavernous trunk 

so that you can create spots to display 

ornaments, or put down your coffee, 

and at the same time maximise that 

surface space with a bold design 

statement and plenty space to store away 

all your boxes and files underneath. 

These big pieces are a great opportunity 

to make a bold statement that you can 

really build a room around. Depending 

on your budget, you could really invest 

in a special piece here – perhaps an 

antique, and if you have something 

specific in mind, try and get some 

pictures online so that local dealers can 

keep an eye out for you. 

Or you could source a new, high quality 

item locally, there are some great pieces 

available at The Store, or Nancy Smillie 

among others. Or indeed upcycle some 

solid furniture sourced through charity 

shops and painted in bright colours, or 

cleaned up and sections highlighted in 

designed self-adhesive paper. 

Think carefully about what you would 

like to store away too – do you want 

drawers for paperwork or photos, or do 

you need shelves for spare blankets, or 

open cupboards for boxes. Make sure 

you err on the side of too much, rather 

than too little space. You’ll need some 

leeway to add to collections further 

down the line. If you find a way to marry 

the practicality of the storage you need, 

with a really strong design statement, 

it can create a great focal point and it’s 

well worth spending some time and 

thought on sourcing the right piece. 

And also, don’t forget about the smaller 

items. It’s worth thinking about those 

irritating, high traffic areas where 

clutter often collects and seeing if you 

can you create practical and beautiful 

solutions. This can really help reduce 

stress levels by stopping cycles of daily 

dumping grounds. Having a think about 

some practical and beautiful solutions 

for things like shoe storage, umbrella 

stands, coats and scarves is really worth 

the time. Going through the process 

of identifying these key areas for your 

home means you can keep an eye out for 

beautiful solutions the next time you 

mosey around the West End shops and 

boutiques.


With over 35 years experience Power-Lite can 

offer a wide range of services including 

Joiners – Electricians – Plumbers 

Painters and Decorators – Plasterers 

Quote 

'Westender 

Magazine' for 

10 

% 

all new work 

undertaken 

OFF 

We can install fully fitted kitchens, bathrooms 

including wet rooms, wet floors, electrical test and 

inspections, full re-wires, PAT testing and also all 

decorative work throughout a property. 

T. 0141 954 5151 M. 07836 700 754 

W. power-lite.com E. allan@power-lite.com 

12 Jordanvale Avenue, Glasgow, G14 OQP 

READERS 

OFFER! 

FREE 

Gas Certificate 

PAT Test 

Legionella 

Assessment 

Are you a Landlord? 

Thinking of Letting? 

Changing Agent? 

When you quote 

Westender 

“ Problem Solved” 

Call or email for a free market appraisal 

E: glasgow@zoneletting.com T: 0141-333-0990 W: www.zoneletting.com 

SERVING: GLASGOW • EDINBURGH • LONDON


Westender Magazine 

Interiors & All Trades 

Keeping your home working for 

you. Whatever you need whenever 

you need it – find reliable local 

tradespeople here. 

West End 

Handyman 

✓ all trades 

✓ fast & reliable 

✓ local & accessible 

✓ reasonably priced 

✓ no job too small 

part of 

Call Radek 

07810 728 025 

Painter & Decorator » Plaster Skimming 

Ames Taping & Coving » Period Windows 

Hand-painted Kitchens 

Call Frank – 07906 395341 / 0141 945 3975 

francisscullion@yahoo.co.uk 

We’re your local experts in all 

aspects of painting and decorating, 

interior, exterior and specialists in 

hanging designer wallpapers. 

for a Free No Obligation Quote 

call Kevin on 07984 880199 

or Derek on 07525 202102 

or email us at 

bespokedecor@yahoo.co.uk 

T: 0141 321 1012 

2/2 1758 Great Western Road, 

Glasgow G13 2TL 

Traditional Roofing, 

Leadwork and Building 

Specialists 

CITB Registered 

Call 0141 429 8484 Email info@tmcm.co 

Web www.tmcm.co


Before 

Do you have cornice 

in need of repair? 

After 

www.reproplaster.co.uk | Tel: 0141 7761112 

Visit our showroom at Period House, 5 Campsie Road, Kirkintilloch, G66 1SL 

Experts in the repair of ornamental plasterwork | Comprehensive product range also available 

With over 25 years’ experience, 

we offer a wide range of plumbing, 

gas & building services. 

➤ Central heating installations 

➤ Gas installations & repair work 

➤ Landlord gas safety certificates 

➤ Plumbing & emergency repair work 

➤ Bathroom/kitchen installations & upgrades 

➤ Specialists in renovation & building projects 

➤ All trades supplied 

➤ Gas Safe registered 

Quote ‘Westender Magazine’ 

for a 10% discount off new 

boiler installations. 

0141 301 1180 | 07949 092 475 

www.bsmithplumbing.com 

info@bsmithplumbing.com



Wee Kitchen Shop 

Beautiful Custom Made Contemporary & Traditional Kitchens 

There are many ways to approach the 

creative process – mood boards and 

Pintrest being two. When a young 

Glasgow couple approached Greg at The 

Wee Kitchen Shop clutching images cut 

from interiors magazines, it acted as a 

spring board towards their dream kitchen. 

‘I love the contrast of the painted finish of 

the frame Shaker doors against the white 

worktops, walls and mantel,’ says Greg. 

‘The couple chose Farrow & Ball’s Hague 

Blue and it creates real drama in this light 

airy space. The cool tones used elsewhere 

are then warmed up with the light oak floor 

and antique brass finished handles.’ 

Working in the older properties of the West 

End can cause some practical design issues 

– but these are just the challenges Greg 

loves to resolve creatively. 

Accented open space above the sink was 

created by hanging antique finished cast iron 

shelf brackets supporting danish oiled rustic 

oak planks. Whilst a custom-made mantel 

surrounding the range cooker incorporates 

storage and cornicing to harmonise with 

the existing original features. Beauty and 

practicality: isn’t that the design mantra? It’s 

Greg’s, that’s for sure. 

SPECIAL OFFER: 30% off Silestone, 

Corian & Granite worktops ordered 

before 30th Apr ‘18! Please call ahead 

for a FREE consultation appointment 

at The Wee Kitchen Shop premises. 

The WEE Kitchen Shop 

304 Crow Road, Broomhill G11 7HS 

0141 334 4747 

theweekitchenshop.co.uk 

info@theweekitchenshop.co.uk

www.westendermagazine.com | 67

‘hello’ 

next step 


Be where you want to be. Corum’s property knowhow 

gets you there. Contact Corum West End today. 

Contact us on 

0141 357 1888 

Visit our website 

corumproperty.co.uk 

Corum West End 

82 Hyndland Road, Glasgow G12 9UT the best sellers

WebMarApr18

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